8 CULTIVATION 
very short. Tubers may also be started in a cold frame, 
or in the house, in such localities. 
The beginner always asks why not plant early? 
Will not May planting give better results than mid- 
June? The locality is, of course, the deciding factor. 
Some seasons in parts of Maine the ground is frozen a 
foot deep when May begins, and the first killing frost 
is due with September. In some sections of New York 
grape culture is impossible, and peaches and pears can- 
not be grown because spring frosts persist so long, and 
September killing freezes are so early. Where the 
growing season is so extremely short dahlias should be 
planted as early as possible, and carried over the dry 
spells with judicious irrigation. In regions where abun- 
dant summer rains are unfailing, tubers can be set out 
any time from potato planting until July. Disbudded, 
top fertilized, the plants will bloom profusely until 
killed by frost. In regions where summers are dry and 
hot the early May plantings inevitably become hard 
and woody, so hard that the succulent new branches so 
necessary for the production of excellent flowers will 
not come out. In such localities June planting sends 
the plant into August young and vigorous. Judicious 
watering will usually carry the plant on practically 
unhurt into cool and safe September. 
There are no fixed rules of course. Whether 
planted early or late, and no matter how often and 
how thoroughly the ground is cultivated, a fatal har- 
