OFTHEDAHLIA 23 
although in some cases good culture will greatly assist 
the process. The most unpropitious season to the 
Dahlia in this climate is a long continuance of drought 
in the months of July and August: for when this occurs 
the growth of the young shoots is impeded so that the 
flower buds cannot unfold and develop; but are impov- 
erished in their embryo state in the shoots, which are 
naturally converted into a hard woody substance, in 
order to bear the extreme dry season. In this case it is 
not until the cool nights of the fall months that the 
Dahlia can make the proper shoots for flowering; and 
this often happens so late that the entire stalk is killed 
by the frost before flowering commences. The most 
favorable locations in such seasons are the borders of 
rivers, lakes, or large sheets of water, that afford a 
humid atmosphere in the mornings and evenings of hot 
sultry weather: for there is no plant of the flower garden 
that is more benefited by a humid atmospheric air than 
the Dahlia." 
In 1922, 83 years after Sayers wrote, it is the judg- 
ment of experts that fogs are a help. By the seashore; 
or in a region of large ponds or lakes, the fogs, heavy 
dews, and general humidity of atmosphere are all im- 
mensely enjoyed by dahlias. 
Cultivation gives three important results. It de- 
stroys weeds (other plants that are struggling for sur- 
vival with the dahlia); it greatly improves the soil by 
admitting air to its recesses as the cultivation tools 
