DAHLIAS 



I^Ty^T seems too bad, and rather a sad tragedy some Amateurs 

 l^i-t J make of growing dahlias, for it is so simple. All we have 

 f^^^l to do is to just lay the tubers almost flat and cover them 

 with six or seven inches of soil, and my advice is never to plant 

 them upright, notwithstanding that such a method is often 

 advised. 



As we have such an abundance of flowers during June and 

 July, we really do not need the dahlias early in the season, there- 

 fore I think they should be looked upon as splendid garden 

 materialj^ and for cutting, when the earlier flowers have departed: 



The forcing of the tubers for early flowers is indeed unneces- 

 sary work, because we need them more, and they are of far greater 

 value, iu late Summer when we should most certainly rely upon 

 them as among the important garden factors for succession. 



It is advisable — at least I have found it so — to retard dahlia 

 tubers as long as possible; in fact, if they are planted the first 

 week in July I do not think it would be too late, for they will 

 bloom in from six to eight weeks after the tubers have been im- 

 beded. Need I sa}^ that they love and enjoy the sun, and a well- 

 warmed soil? Yet, even though they demand so little, they give 

 a great return for good culture, and, as I said before, their culture 

 is so very simple. Naturally, the soil should be good, but it does 

 not matter, so far as the results are concerned, whether it be light, 

 heavy or sandy soil, but whatever its character may be, let it be 

 dug to at least a foot in depth and have old stable manure thor- 

 oughly incorporated with it. How much, you wish to know? 

 Well, a barrowful to five barrows of soil would be a good mixture. 

 Then I do not believe in giving any further fertilizer until the 

 floAver buds have formed, and then only a light top dressing of 

 flour of bone and a little sprinkling over it of imported Scotch 

 soot, but the bone and soot should be carefully cultivated into the 

 soil. When watering is necessary I prefer trench watering, just 

 as I have heretofore advised for our roses, and you will, I am sure, 

 find it most effective- 



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