May, 1 9 1 1 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



229 



whether latitude of Washington, Phila- 

 phia, New York, or Boston? 



i. Washington and Philadelphia, June and 

 July; New York or Boston, May and June. 



2. May 30th is plenty early. (Mass.) 



3. In eastern and southeastern Massa- 

 chusetts, the best time is from May 15th 

 to July 1st, the latter part of this period 

 for late blooms. 



4. Here — fifty miles east of New York 

 City — May 25th to June 25th. I would 

 recommend that any one 



having enough tubers to 

 do so should plant a part 

 of each variety every 

 week, leaving spaces in 

 the rows, and then note 

 which planting gives the 

 best results. I think that 

 those planted in June will 

 be found the best. 



How deep should tubers 

 be planted? 



1. Six inches. 



2. Six inches, sure. 



3. Six to eight inches. 



4. I am a firm believer 

 in deep planting, at least 

 six inches, but not all at 

 once. I drop a tuber into 

 the furrow and cover as 

 little as possible; simply 

 enough to keep the sun 

 from scalding the root. I 

 then cover gradually, us- 

 ing a one-horse cultivator, 

 eventually leveling down 

 the furrows. In the gar- 

 den, where I plant new 

 and choice varieties more 

 by hand, I do the same, 

 covering so carefully as 

 not to conceal the sprout, 

 or eye, as this gives it a 

 chance to harden. 



Should more than one 

 {that is one eye) be planted 

 in a place? 



1. No. 



2. Only one. If two 

 eyes come it does not ma- 

 terially check the plant so 

 long as there is not too 

 much bottom root in the 

 first place. 



3- ^°- This kind of growth 



4. I never allow more 

 than one eye. As soon 

 as the eye has two sets of leaves I 

 pinch off the top. I then cultivate at 

 least every ten days. Thus the entire 

 surface is gradually leveled and surely 

 kept clean and there is a practical guaran- 

 tee against injury by drought. At the 

 base of these two sets of leaves will develop 

 branches which may be pinched out in 

 turn when they have made two sets of 

 leaves; thus insuring a stocky bush that 

 will withstand wind better, furnish more 

 beauty of form and be more convenient 

 for gathering the bloom. 



Is it best to lay the tuber down flat? 



1. Yes. 



2. Yes: do not plant it any other way. 



3. Yes. 



4. Usually I have never stopped to 

 see whether the tubers were flat or upside 

 down; so long as they lay so that when 

 they grew they would have the stems all 

 as near a line as possible. With special 

 trials of new varieties I use a little 

 more care, making sure that the eye is 



is possible for any amateur. These plants, eight feet 

 in a city backyard 



in a good position to push upward at 

 once. In the latter case I use a protec- 

 tor, made of cardboard or an old tin 

 can, to guard against injury of the 

 shoot by breaking or by cut worms. 

 These destructive worms were very 

 numerous with me last season, and by 

 this means I saved many valuable new 

 varieties. 



Do you advise encouraging tubers to 

 sprout before planting? 

 1. Yes. 



2. Does not injure stock, be*ore plant- 

 ing, and often saves skipped hills. 



3. Always have the tubers show a sprout 

 before planting. 



4. Yes, if I wish to get all the plants 

 possible in a clump; also so that there will 

 not be more than one stalk in a planting. 



Do you separate tubers before planting? 



1. Yes. 



2. Always; but use a sharp knife. 



3. I begin to cut up in 

 February, having so many 

 tubers. When planting in 

 your own yard separate at 

 time of planting. 



4. Most positively, yes. 

 I once had a large part of 

 an order sent back be- 

 cause the tubers had only 

 one eye. I planted them 

 myself and was pleased to 

 show that same person 

 the following fall my suc- 

 cess with what he had 

 rejected. 



Do you advise planting 

 by themselves? 



1. Yes. 



2. Makes no difference 

 where you plant them. If 

 properly treated they will 

 do well anywhere. 



3. Not necessarily. 



4. I prefer to kesp 

 classes and varieties by 

 themselves. 



Do you advise changing 

 location every year? 



1. No. Trench ground 

 every four years to depth 

 of eighteen inches or more, 

 if soil is good aid deep. 



2. It is well. '< find they 

 do fully as well, and I 

 think a lot better. 



3. No. I plant on the 

 same ground year after 

 year with good results. 



4. Before locating here 

 my trial grounds for a 

 series of years were on 

 rich truck lands in New 

 Jersey and dahlias were 

 planted on the same lots 

 season after season, with 

 generally good results. 

 Here for nine seasons we 



have planted in the same lots with like re- 

 sults. It is generally claimed that the line 

 of all crop success is a general changing and 

 resting of the soil ; but — with my plan I 

 nevertheless get perfect dahlia bloom. I 

 plow, furrow and plant alternately, that is 

 north and south one season and east and 

 west the next, thus in reality getting fresh 

 soil every year. Yet I planted a 2-acre lot 

 for three seasons without any special ferti- 

 lization, because it was in sod and had 

 been idle a long time. But I heartily rec- 

 ommend fertilization well in advance of 



high, were grown 



