Breeding 77 



sea the fields are a blaze of colour. California 

 is indeed the Promised Land for dahlias. 



On the south coast of England the climate is 

 much the same, and two great hybridizers have 

 their gardens there. The soil, though not of 

 the substance of California, is rich in peat and 

 sand, and these gardens are a mass of bloom all 

 summer. 



The brains of the man with the camel's hair 

 brush is the greatest factor of all. Where he 

 dwells, whether here or there, the dahlia has its 

 future. 



Do not plant the seeds too early. They 

 germinate quickly and grow rapidly. The middle 

 of April is time enough to place the seeds in 

 flats. The flats should be kept in the cold 

 frame or in a sunny window but shaded from the 

 direct rays of the sun. Use a light loam mixed 

 with well-rotted leaf mould or peat so that it 

 cannot pack. Sow the seeds about an inch 

 apart and cover lightly with about half an inch 

 of soil. Water sparingly with a fine rose spray, 

 and above all, keep the weeds out. 



Presently two little oblong leaves appear 

 which widen as they grow, and then two more 

 above. When the seedlings have acquired their 

 third set of leaves, they should be pricked out 

 into three-inch pots and grown as slowly as 



