108 
DAHLIAS. 
judiciously carried out, which every one who loves this tribe pro¬ 
fessedly will not fail to do to the utmost of their abilities. In 
planting them I would recommend the following plan to be 
adopted, which will render the plants accessible for all purposes, 
without in any way damaging them or trampling over the beds. 
Let the plot of ground intended to receive the plants be a square 
or parallelogram, a four feet border should surround it, with 
openings at intervals for entry and egress, next to this a path of 
about the same width traversing the plot on all sides; and the 
interior may then be divided into alternate beds and paths, the 
former not exceeding four feet, and the latter three in width; by 
continuing these parallel with the outer border no space is lost, 
the design is easily worked and is appropriate to the character of 
the plants intended to fill it. By keeping the beds to an uniform 
width of four feet, with a path on each side, all the necessary 
operations may be carried on without incurring the least risk of 
damage to the plants, and they are also insured a full supply of 
air on all sides ; the quincunx mode of planting will for the same 
reason be the best, and by its adoption the ground will hold 
nearly a third more plants. The desirableness of collecting these 
plants in a mass must strike every person at all conversant with 
their management, and where proper attention is given to order 
and neatness, something of the kind becomes indispensable. 
In dry weather the whole can be forked over and kept loose to 
admit a plentiful supply of water to the roots, which operation 
should be performed once or twice a week in very dry weather, it 
is useless to attempt to water at all unless it is done on this liberal 
method, as it is not a little water that is required at this season, 
when so much is carried off by evaporation independently of that 
which is required as food by the roots of the plants. I am con¬ 
vinced that too much attention cannot possibly be paid to this 
part of the subject, especially when amateurs wish to exhibit fine 
well-developed blooms ; of course it is essential to thin the flower 
buds, carefully cut out the centres of those that come hard in the 
eye, &e., &c.; this little operation requires to be performed with 
many of our best flowers, and if it is not done they become 
confused in the centre, consequently unfit for showing. 
E. Fky. 
