GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



after the buds have formed, otherwise you will 

 have principally stalks and leaves. But once the 

 buds do show, water frequently in order to enrich 

 the color, and dig in fertilizer around the roots sev- 

 eral times during the flowering season, to produce 

 flne, big blossoms. 



Tie each plant to a 5-ft. stake, to protect from, 

 the wind, but in driving be careful not to pierce — 

 and ruin — your tuber. Nip off all the buds that are 

 imperfect or weak, and cut your flowei^ with their 

 attendant buds and foliage. They will look bet- 

 ter, and no further disbudding of the plants will be 

 necessary. And the more you cut, the better your 

 dahlias will bloom ! 



Soon after frost has killed the leaves, carefully 

 dig up the tubers with a spading fork. You will 

 be surprised to find often half-a-dozen where you 

 set but one! Allow them to dry in the air for a 

 day or two, then put away in a cool, dark cellar, 

 with a bag or paper thrown over them, and leave 

 for the winter. In the spring when ready to plant 

 again, cut each tuber so it will have a little bit of 

 the heart of the clump on its end, as it is close to 

 this that the new shoots start. 



Growing dahlias from seed is a most fascinating 

 pastime, for there is no telling what you may get! 

 The child is rarely, if ever, like its mother, — and 



56 



