42 The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia 



resulting seeds will carry on what their roots 

 cannot. 



Examine the clump carefully. You will read- 

 ily see that the tubers radiate horizontally from 

 the main stalk, and that there is usually a 

 knuckle at the po nt of attachment. As a rule 

 an "eye" is to be found in this knuckle, though 

 it does not manifest itself until spring, when it 

 begins to swell. Each eye wants to be a plant, 

 but it must have a tuber to subsist upon until it 

 is well started in life. 



Each tuber in the clump should be detached so 

 that an eye remains connected with it. Often 



the eye dies in its 

 infancy and these 

 tubers are called 

 "blind." They 

 will grow under- 

 ground for a while, 

 but not being able 

 to send a shoot up- 

 ward to breathe 

 and draw nourish- 

 ment from the air, 

 they soon die of 

 suffocation. 

 Very often eyes are to be found high up on the 

 main stalk. If a blind tuber is left attached to 



Average clump of tubers ready to 

 be separated. Larger tubers should 

 be cut short where indicated. 



