THE DAHLIA 



The soil must be rich. In a poor soil develop- 

 ment will be on a par with that of plants which 

 have been given a dry place. 



Because of the peculiar brittleness of the stalks 

 of the Dahlia it is quite necessary to furnish them 

 with good support. My plan is to set a stout 

 stake by each plant, at planting-time. This 

 should be at least five feet tall. I put it in place 

 at the time of planting the tuber, because then I 

 know just where the root of the future plant is, 

 and can set the stake without injuring it. But if 

 stake-setting is left until later in the season one 

 runs a risk of breaking off some of the new 

 tubers that have formed about the old one. I tie 

 the main stalk of the plant to the stake with a 

 strip of cloth instead of a string, as the latter 

 will cut into the soft wood. Sometimes, if the 

 plant sends up a good many stalks, it will be 

 necessary to furnish additional support. Unless 

 some kind of support is given we are likely to 

 get up some morning after a heavy rain, or a 

 sudden wind, and find our plants broken down, 

 and in attempting to save them we are pretty 

 sure to complete the week, as a slight twist or 

 turn in the wrong direction will snap the stalk 

 off at its junction with the root. 



The Dahlia will be found one of our very best 



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