162 



On Dahlias. 



were then suffered to grow upright, and the whole became 

 one mass. They flowered extremely well, but rather late in 

 the season, and never had the appearance of being higher 

 than two or two feet and a half. The sorts selected for this 

 experiment were those that flower most abundantly. Large 

 rooted plants which produce many stems are best suited 

 for this purpose, because such sooner fill up the intervening 

 spaces. 



The dwarf kinds ought always to be planted either by 

 themselves, or in front of the taller ones. When planted in 

 clumps, the effect produced by them is very brilliant. 



Tt has been found that Dahlias do not succeed well when 

 placed more than once on the same ground, and that if it is 

 desirable to have them always in one situation, it is necessary 

 to renew the soil, by trenching it deeply the second, and 

 taking it out and replacing it the third and succeeding years. 

 It will seldom be found advisable to add manure ; fresh soil 

 is all that is necessary. When the plants are much exposed, 

 they require to be supported by strong stakes ; these should 

 be put in at the time of planting, or shortly afterwards ; for 

 if this work be done later, the roots will be injured by 

 the stakes in driving them down ; this hurts the plants when 

 advanced materially, sometimes even killing them. 



In potting the roots in spring, it is recommended to divide 

 them as much as possible, ( always taking care to retain a part 

 of the stem to each root,) excepting the plants intended to be 

 laid down. To secure young plants for the next year's stock, 

 as the most likely means of preserving the kind in its true 

 character, they should be propagated from cuttings taken 

 from the old roots. An excellent method of preserving small 



