LAKGE BLOOMS 
claim that bone meal helps the plants more the second 
season than the first, which makes its liberal use ex- 
pensive unless the same land can be used for dahlias 
year after year. 
The writer's practice, when planting dahlias in 
holes, is to dig a hole fifteen inches across, and not less 
than eighteen inches deep. When there is time enough 
the hard pan of the last six inches is removed and rich 
top soil added to the top of the hole to completely fill 
it. When the hole has been half filled, with the poorer 
earth, half a pint of bone meal is added as the richer 
soil is being shoveled back, and mixed thoroughly with 
the soil by lifting and turning the soil the depth of the 
shovel again and again. A hole six inches deep in this 
pulverized earth is then made and the tuber planted, 
flat, of course, the sprout or eye side uppermost. The 
tuber is thus surrounded by the well distributed bone 
meal. The feeding roots, striking downwards or 
horizontally, find it, the later August roots, that are 
hardly two inches below the surface find it, and as the 
bone decomposes the rains dissolve it and carry it over 
the roots. Not less than half a pint of bone meal is 
used for each tuber. Not all of it will become available 
for the plant during the first season. No harm has ever 
been done, and dahlia blooms are always profuse and of 
good form and substance. 
A little potash is necessary if brilliant color is de- 
sired, as of course it is, with dahlias. Scotch soot, about 
