Next to over-fertilizing I know of no more prolific source of failure than over- 
watering. Water forces a weak, sappy growth that is difficient in woody fibre, so neces- 
sary to a healthy, blooming plant. The reader should understand that I am here speakmg 
of the plants in the earlier stages of their growth, and before the blooming period begms. 
A plant that has been properly grown and comes to the blooming period and is well set 
with buds and bloom, will require twice the amount of water that it did previously. 
In fact, there is little danger from this source when a plant is full of blooms. Water is 
best applied in the evening or early morning. If the grower is in doubt as to the progress 
his plants are making, it would be advisable for him to call upon some successful grower 
and make comparisons. 
TIME OF BLOOMING. 
.^s a rule, Dahlias should show buds when eighteen to twenty inches high (green 
plants a little earlier), and be in bloom at thirty inches high. The time usually required 
to produce bloom from the date of planting a dormant tuber is from sixty-five to seventy-five 
days. But this time will vary considerably according to altitude and weather conditions. 
The figures given hold good here at an altitude of one mile above sea level. 
CULTURE. 
As soon as the sprouts appear above the surface start the hoe and cultivator. There 
must be no neglect of this important factor in Dahlia Culture, for Dahlias, like people, 
show their early training. For private gardens and parks the hoe and rake is all that 
is necessary, but for commercial growers horse cultivators with small teeth are the proper 
tools to use. The cultivation need not be deep but should be thorough and the soil kept 
loose and mellow. The fact should be always kept in mind that the hoe and cultivator 
are the best fertilizers that can possibly be applied to a growing Dahlia. This work should 
be kept up until the first blooms appear, at which time, if the tools have been properly 
handled, there should be a slight hillock around each plant or a slight ridge along each 
row, so that water will not lay around the plants. All tuberous rooted plants thrive 
best where the soil is mellow and yielding about their roots. Varieties growing above 3 
feet in height should be tied to stout stakes to prevent the wind blowing them out of position. 
PROPAGATION. 
There are three methods of propagation in general use. Divisions of the roots, 
rooted cuttings and seed. 
Bp Division. 
If propagated in this way the work should be done in the early spring several weeks 
before planting time, and unless the person doing the work is skilled in the art it would 
be better to place the clumps that are to be divided in some damp material such as moss 
and keep them in a warm place for a week or ten days, that the eyes may appear to better 
advantage. It will then be much easier to make the divisions. A sharp knife and a pair 
of pruning shears are the proper tools to use in this work. First remove all decayed tubers 
and those that are broken at the neck and throw them away. Then split the stalk with 
the shears and work with shears or knife until the whole is reduced as far as possible to 
single tubers, being careful, however, that each piece has an eye. Persons familiar with 
this work often divide to the extent of dividing an eye in the center v/hen there is but one 
