THE DAHLIA. 
559 
The bud intended to be protected is thus 
placed — 
The slit is filled up with wadding, so as 
to prevent any kind of insect from getting 
through it, and the bloom is brought to 
maturity under a flower-pot or a glass, or 
a cover made on purpose, like an inverted pot 
without a bottom, and a cover and glass to fit, 
and to use according as the grower requires 
light or darkness for his flower. The extent 
to which this artificial mode of blooming has 
of late proceeded has tended greatly to pro- 
duce flowers in an artificial state, — the colours 
and character are not then fairly developed ; 
a tipped or edged flower will come plain, or 
with the tip or edging very indistinct ; and 
they will neither last so long, nor travel so 
well, nor be so brilliant. If the object be 
merely to keep away vermin, it is paying a 
great sacrifice of beauty for the saving of a 
little sacrifice in labour. However, such is 
the practice ; and nearly all growers do it for 
the sake of size, and a supposed, or perhaps 
real assistance to a centre naturally defective. 
During all the blooming time, as promising 
buds come out, they are adjusted into tables 
like these and covered, and while they are in an 
earlier stage they are tied up in a gauze bag. 
As soon as it is discovered that a bud is use- 
less it must be taken off, and the same pre- 
caution taken with flowers as soon as they 
have gone by or become of no service ; for it 
aids a plant much more than cutting away 
branches, which is by many carried to excess, 
so as to defeat the object, for we maintain that 
the perfection of pruning is to remove only the 
branches that are in the way and the buds that 
are not wanted. 
TAKING UP THE TUBEES. 
Dahlias in general are allowed to bloom too 
long : when they have exhausted themselves, 
which will be in October, and early planted 
ones sooner, so as to throw no more good 
flowers, the roots on which we rely for our 
next year's stock ought to have a fork or spade 
put under them, and be lifted enough to dis- 
turb them ; the plants will then wither, and 
in a week from the time they were disturbed 
they may be taken up, cleared of their mould, 
their stems cut down to three or four inches 
in length, and the tubers be put into a dry 
place, to which neither heat nor frost can find 
access — the one would dry and shrivel them, 
the other rot them : the labels should be 
fastened with wire, for string of any kind will 
perish. 
PROPAGATION. 
There are several modes of increasing the 
Dahlia. For an amateur, who does not re- 
quire many plants from each tuber, it will be 
enough to put the tubers in the warm stove, 
or in a slight hot- bed without planting or pot- 
ting them, and sprinkle them occasionally 
with water ; this will cause the eyes to start. 
The tubers may be then separated into as 
many pieces as there are eyes, each eye having 
a portion of tuber to it. There is no neces- 
sity for a large piece of tuber ; it may be cut 
so as to go into a moderate sized pot, and be 
grown in the hot-bed stove, or even green- 
house ; but the season at which they are 
separated must be selected according to the 
convenience. If there be no hot-house nor 
greenhouse, nor hot-bed, the roots may be 
kept in a basket near the kitchen fire, and 
there be sprinkled occasionally, until they are 
separated, which cannot be done with ad- 
vantage until the eyes have all fairly started. 
This plan will generally produce as much in- 
crease as an amateur requires. Where 
there is no convenience for potting, plant them 
at once in- the ground, with the crowns six 
inches below the surface. Those who desire 
a larger increase should pot them, and as the 
shoots get two inches long, carefully break 
them out, by pressing them backwards and 
forwards near the bottom ; place them one 
each in thumb-pots, and put them in a hot- 
bed to strike, which, if kept moist, they will 
do in a few days, and continue doing this until 
there are enough plants ; but if a large number 
is required, let the shoots all grow three inches 
long, and with a sharp knife cut thern off just 
under the lower pair of leaves, which will 
cause numerous other shoots to come forward, 
fit for the same treatment, which may be kept 
on until any quantity required is secured ; 
but it should be remembered that this could 
be continued until by excessive and rapid pro- 
pagation the constitution of the plant would 
be changed, and very double varieties rendered 
semi-double, or even single. Nobody, how- 
ever, who could procure pot-roots, however 
small, or pieces of tuber with a single eye, 
should ever use plants ; for a piece of tuber 
with an eye, or a pot-root however small, will 
make a far better plant than even an early 
cutting. The cuttings as they are struck, 
should be put into a frame rather cooler, and 
