PBOTEGTING DAHLIAS. 



97 



and round this must be arrayed other strong stakes, correspondmg in 

 number with the growths, each one being furnished with a support 

 of its own. To these the shoots are attached, firmly, yet so freely as 

 to permit the shoot to move about and expand as the plant attains 

 age. If it should become necessary to remove one of the stakes when 

 growth is well advanced, let the operation be carried out with the 

 utmost care, and put the new^ support in the hole left by the removal 

 of the first one. This obviates the probability of damage accruing. 



Timing Blooms.— In this lies, to a very large degree, the 

 cultivator's success in the exhibition arena, as unless he can 

 manage this correctly he can never rely upon having his flowers 

 in at the required time. It is one of the several operations in 

 gardening that experience in a particular soil and district will teach, 

 aided by the closest observation and persistent diary making, so 

 as to have a record of progress from year to year. Until this 

 experience has been gained (and the wuse man will continue it 

 afterwards) several buds in different stages should be chosen for 

 retention, in order to guard, as far as possible, against an error. At 

 this stage the greatest worry will arise from the prevalence of 

 earwigs, whose faculty for selecting the finest buds upon which to 

 exercise their power of destruction approaches to the miraculous. 

 Of these mention wdll be made in due course. 



Protecting Blooms, —Following hard upon the timing in 

 importance, as regards exhibition produce, is the protection of 

 the flowers as well from the eff'ects of the weather as from the 

 ravages of earwigs and other pests. It used to be a very common 

 practice in some parts of the country, and probably still is in 

 certain districts, to enclose each bud in a bag made of soft muslin, 

 this being with a view to keeping earwigs at bay. But it is not 

 this aspect of the case that will be dealt wuth at this juncture ; it 

 is rather the protection of the developed, or nearly so, bloom from 

 atmospheric eS'ects that must receive attention. The shades s^Decially 

 made and sold for this purpose are the best things to employ, 

 and, though they may be rather expensive at the outset^ they must 

 be procured, and will, w^ith reasonable care, last for a considerable 

 period. Home-made contrivances are frequently utilised by growers, 

 and will be found to answer admirably, provided they are properly 

 constructed with knowledge of the form of the flower and the 

 particular object in their use. Those made with canvas sides 

 strained on to a wire frame are probably the most useful form to 

 employ, but it should be regarded as essential that they have a 

 movable cover, or one of glass and another of wood. The idea of 

 thus providing two tops is to have at hand a dark or a light shade 

 for use, according to discretion, as while some flow^ers bleach in tlie 

 sunlight and others burn, still more demand brilliant light before 

 their richest hues can be brought out ; afterwards these, too, m^ty 

 require protection. Again, the protectors will perform a valuable 

 service in the timing of the flowers, for when skilfully employed 

 they will accelerate or retard a bloom to an appreciable degree. It 



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