da'hlia. 



78 



da'hlia. 



grow well in the richest clayey soil 

 without sand ; and though they will 

 grow freely in sand without loam, the 

 flowers will be poor, and only semi- 

 double. Though they flower so late 

 in the year, Dahlias are killed by the 

 slightest frost ; and thus their beauty, 

 great as it is, is generally rather short- 

 lived. As soon as the leaves turn 

 brown from frost, which is generally 

 in October, the stems should be cut 

 down ; and in November, the tubers 

 should be taken up. A dry day 

 should be chosen, if possible ; and the 

 tubers should be carefully taken up, 

 and laid on boards in an open shed, 

 or some similar place, to dry. While 

 drying, they should be turned every 

 day, and the earlh that falls from 

 them should be swept away. They 

 should be dried in an open shed, if 

 possible, where they will be only 

 sheltered from the rain ; for if dried 

 suddenly by fire-heat, or exposure to 

 the sun, the tubers are apt to wither 

 up ; and if dried too slowly without 

 the admission of plenty of air, they 

 will rot. They generally do best 

 kept during the winter in a dry cellar 

 in sand or sawdust ; but any dry place 

 will do, which is not too hot. In 

 spring, the tubers are replanted, either 

 in pots plunged in a slight hotbed, 

 about the middle of February, or the 

 beginning of March, or in the open 

 ground in May or June ; but the 

 dwarf early-flowering kinds may be 

 planted in the open air in April. 

 When the tall kinds are wanted to 

 flower early, they may be forced ra- 

 pidly forward, by being plunged into 

 stronger heat, and kept in the hotbed 

 till just ready to flower. If, however, 

 the summer should prove hot and 

 dry, the plants thus forced are fre- 

 quently attacked by a disease called 

 the curl, which is caused by an in- 

 sect, called the green bug, that perfo- 

 rates the young leaves, and occasions 

 them to wither and shrivel up. All 



Dahlias are also frequently 'infested 

 with earwigs, which pierce the flower- 

 buds, and prevent them from ex- 

 panding. 



The beauty of the Dahlia is esti- 

 mated principally by the shape of the 

 flower, which should be perfectly cir- 

 cular, without any of the petals pro- 

 jecting beyond the others ; but if the 

 disc in the centre be seen in a full- 

 blown flower, it is considered as a 

 great defect. As this imperfection 

 disqualifies even a fine Dahlia from 

 competing for a prize, dishonest flor- 

 ists frequently try to remove it arti- 

 ficially, after the flower has expanded. 

 The size and colour of the flowers 



DAHLIA- RINGS. 



are considered as of inferior conse- 

 quence to the form, by professed 

 florists ; though, of course, large 

 flowers are generally preferred to 



