246 
Dahlia Growing in Connecticut 
He in the interior of Connecticut Dahlias 
are very unsatisfactory, and only in the 
later days of September, when the nights are 
cool, do they begin to bloom to any extent; and 
Jack Frost nips them when they are doing their 
best. Not so along the seashore, where the 
moist air from the salt water seems to make 
them thrive. 
Dahlias are a fall flower, and many make the 
mistake of planting too early; the plants will 
show buds in the heat of July, which blasts 
the bud shoots and stunts the plants, causing 
them to throw out numerous small shoots all 
the way down the stalk and no more buds. 
White flies also bother them; many times these 
are not noticed unless one shakes the plants, 
which disturbs the flies and they can be seen 
flying among the leaves. Use a hose with a 
powers spray nozzle, and drive the flies out, 
illing many by the force of the fine spray. 
Plant the bulbs no earlier than June | up to 
June 20 or even later; then the bud shoots will 
not form until the hottest weather is over and 
will, therefore, not be stunted by it. The 
tubers should not be planted less than two and 
a half feet apart, four feet being the better dis- 
tance. When the buds first begin to show, take 
a tablespoonful of nitrate of soda and place in a 
small indentation in the ground not less than 
Tf Hh. -G A-R Dee N.- MeAsG VAeZe lene 
it away; turn it under deeply and leave it to 
decay and lighten up the soil.) 
Freezing and thawing in the winter months 
will leave a wonderful effect on the virtue of 
the soil for Dahlia culture. However, the work 
of breaking up new soil may be satisfactorily 
accomplished in the spring for use the same 
season, if attended to as soon as the frost is 
sufficiently out of the ground to admit plowing, 
which should be deep, say eight to ten inches. 
If the Dahlia garden is small and is to be 
spaded, spread over the surface a good coating 
of suitable manure of any kind (cattle pre- 
ferred) and spade deeply, turning under the 
fertilizer and sod as much as possible. Let 
the soil remain in this condition until ready to 
set the Dahlias. Then another light coating of 
fine fertilizer may be spread over the surface 
and raked in, smoothing the ground over at 
the same time. Then with a spade or shovel 
make a hole to receive the tuber—a long, nar- 
row receptacle, 15 to 18 inches long, about 6 
inches wide and 6 inches deep. Lay the tuber 
flat in this excavation and at each end of the 
hole deposit one-half pint of fertilizer (sheep 
manure) taking care that the fertilizer is not 
less than 4 to 6 inches from the bulb. Then 
cover both bulb and fertilizer 3 or 4 inches 
deep. This method keeps the strong fertilizer 
away from the tender roots of the Dahlias until 
they become harder and the fertilizer has be- 
Isn’t this a monster Lilac? Thirty-eight years old, 18 feet high, 100 feet around! 
six or eight inches from the stalk, covering 
over with soil. This will start them growing 
finely. Do this just previous to a rain, so 
that the soda will be dissolved more quickly. 
While I have had a certain degree of success 
with Dahlias, I have found much more satis- 
faction in the culture of Gladiolus. One is 
sure of good returns in blooms and a great 
many can be grown in a very small place. 
Last summer I had more than 200 varieties, the 
pick of 150,000 hybridized seedlings, which oc- 
cupied my time after my day’s work. in a busy 
newspaper office, and a great delight and source 
of recreation they afforded me. 
Hartford, Conn. J. Mortimer ADAMS. 
Preparation of Soil for Dahlias 
i inner question is frequently asked if Dahlias 
can be grown successfully on the same 
ground year after year. I have grown them on 
the same spot for fifteen years with as good 
success with last year’s crop as the first. Care 
has been taken, in this case, to supply the soil 
with plenty of fertilizer each year to retain 
its fertility. If grass land is to be used in 
which to plant the Dahlias, it is much better 
to plow or spade it in the fall, turning under 
the sod. (Do not knock out the turf and throw 
come more or less assimilated with the soil. 
Fill in around the plant as it matures, but 
always leave a basin-shaped place around it to 
retain water. : 
If a cutting or plant is to be set out, the 
same method of fertilizing should be pursued, 
but the plants need not be set more than 4 or 5 
inches deep. 
Rhode Island. 
Success With Dahlias 
N ALL my twenty-five years’ experience with 
i Dahlias they have never failed to bloom 
splendidly. Some Dahlias of course bloom more 
than others and some are very late coming into 
bloom. 
I think they bloom better if planted in a vege- 
table garden where they can be plowed and hoed 
regularly. Where they can’t be plowed they 
should be the more frequently hoed. 
Pinching off the tops puts back the blooming 
period. A lack of sunshine, or rain will keep 
them back. 
One summer it was very dry here, with no 
rain from the middle of March until August 
lst. By keeping the soil stirred I kept my 
dahlias growing some and looking tolerably 
fresh, but had no bloom. When the showers be- 
GrorcE L. STILLMAN. 
equally to cucumbers, 
May, 1916 
gan they seemed to burst into bloom all at once, 
and the bloom was the finest I have ever had. 
I have set out rooted plants as late as Sep- 
tember Ist; they were in bloom October 15th. 
Alternate rain and sunshine just suited them; 
they outgrew some plants set out in July which 
had been dwarfed by dry weather. They made 
magnificent bloom, but an early frost on No- 
vember 10th cut them off. Have had them in 
bloom December Ist. Two feet apart each way 
is the closest I have ever planted, and then I 
left just one stalk in hill, tied it up to a good 
stake and trimmed out part of the branches. 
Three feet is close enough for those varieties 
that branch a good deal and make heavy tops. 
Dahlias like a soil that is broken deep. Three 
feet is none too deep. I had a splendid bed of 
cactus dahlias one summer that grew and 
bloomed right through an excessive dry spell; 
they were planted where I had had a four-foot 
“pit” filled up with leaf-mold and grass sod in 
the fall. They will grow and bloom in any kind 
of soil that has not been soured by water stand- 
ing on it. They will not grow where the soil 
is sour. Stiff, heavy clay should be loosened 
with leafmold, leached ashes, or sand. Light, 
sandy soil should have added to it plenty of 
well rotted stable manure. \ 
I have heard it said that too rich soil keeps 
them from blooming, but I do not find it so. 
The very rich soil produces thicker, taller 
stalks and perhaps larger leaves and more and 
better flowers. In very poor soil they will not 
bloom, I have learned from experience. I have 
counted thirty blooms on a stalk at one time 
and sometimes twice that number. 
Old Fort, N. C. Mrs. H. A. Tate. 
A Gigantic Lilac Bush 
HE largest Lilac bush I have ever seen 
and which I believe is the largest in the 
country, is in our backyard. It was planted 
by my father about thirty-eight years ago and 
measures more than one hundred feet in cir- 
cumference and eighteen feet in height. The 
bush is quite famous, and every season, when it 
is in bloom, many people come to see it. I 
wonder if any of THE GARDEN MaGazine read- 
ers know of a larger bush. 
Lincoln, Neb. HELEN H. Turtre. 
Do Cucumbers, Melons and Squashes Mix? 
HIS question is a true perennial; it comes 
up every year. We are in receipt of a note 
from an experienced seedsman who remarks 
that “the same old question, ‘Do melons and 
cukes, etc., mix?’ appearing in my regular cor- 
respondence three times yesterday, induces me 
to dictate the following: 
“No question is more often asked the seeds- 
man during the spring months than the above. 
Although they all belong to the family Cucur- 
Litaceae—and this also includes pumpkins and 
gourds—yet they are distinct species, and I 
have never known of a single case of intermiz- 
img. In fact noted hybridists have spent much 
time in trying to effect crosses between the 
various species by careful hand fertilization, 
but to no purpose. 
“But let us suppose that cucumbers and 
muskmelons grown together in the same patch 
might, through the agency of bees or other 
insects, intercross; what would be the result? 
It could not possibly affect the quality of the 
fruit; the change could only take place in the 
seed, and the result would not be noticeable 
until that seed was again planted for another 
year’s crop. 
When we consider the work put in by the 
busy bee in our orchards during blossom sea- 
son, we might just as readily expect to have the 
quality of our apples, pears or peaches ruined, 
yet nothing of the sort happens. 
Therefore, do not be afraid of sowing side 
by side cucumbers, melons or other Cucurbits. 
Those who advise otherwise have not studied 
the matter, but are simply passing along ‘an 
old and long ago exploded fallacy. But on the 
other hand, do not grow several varieties of 
muskmelon together if it is purposed to save 
seed, as different varieties ah the same thing 
are liable to mix. This rule, of course, applies 
watermelon, squash, 
etc. Where such crops are grown for seed the 
various varieties of the same species are all 
most carefully isolated. 
Penna. G. W. K. 
