158 The Amateur's Book oj the Dahlia 



running about asking questions which no one 

 seems to be able to answer. Someone cannot 

 find vases. Where is the water.'' Somebody 

 else's flowers have not yet arrived — ^and what 

 can be done about it? Another has staged all 

 his entries in the wrong places and forgotten to 

 put up his cards. It is not until long after the 

 hour set for judging that the hall at last is 

 cleared, the debris swept up, and we wait with 

 bated breath for the result. 



Let every local community have a dahlia show 

 this year. There is no one flower so well adapted 

 for this purpose than a dahlia. Because of its 

 wide range of colour and form, it is like a him- 

 dred kinds, yet in scoring points they may com- 

 pete justly with one another. 



The latter part of September is the best time 

 in our Eastern States, while on the Pacific Coast 

 they are held throughout the whole month and 

 until mid-October. 



The show of the American Dahlia Society is 

 always held the last week in September — a time 

 when Southern dahlias are still blooming and 

 Northern dahlias are just at their prime. Plan 

 the local show so that the dates will not conflict; 

 so that you may see all the new varieties there 

 and choose your prize winners for next year. 



