CHAPTER XII 



DAHLIA SHOWS 



WITH the coming of September, its shorter 

 days and chilly nights; with the mass of 

 blooms in the garden and thoughts of the dahlia 

 shows now drawing near, there comes over the 

 gardener a tense excitement like that of a horse 

 about to run a race. 



The schedules arrive and we pore over them, 

 trying mentally to fit what we have into the 

 classes provided. "Is Hortulanus Fiet pink 

 enough to go into the pink class? " you ask your- 

 self. (Not if someone else puts in Delice — ^no 

 other pink dahlia has a chance with Delice.) 

 Then you begin to worry because the red class 

 calls for six blooms of one variety, and you have 

 only five good blooms of Kalif on your three 

 plants, and one bud which does not look as if it 

 will open in time. There is a class for twelve 

 cactus dahlias in three varieties, and you are 

 not sure whether you should have four of each 

 kind or just put in twelve — ^maybe six of one 

 variety and three each of the other two. In 



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