Plate 88. 
DAHLIA MRS. BUSH. 
Dahlia saperjlua, var. 
Although of late years many flowers have entered the lists 
to compete as autumnal beauties with the noble and brilliant 
Dahlia,—and although we are ourselves warm admirers of the 
Gladiolus, the Hollyhock, and the Aster, yet we cannot displace 
from her proud pre-eminence as the Queen of Autumn flowers 
this long-established favourite, one of the newest and best of 
the varieties of which we now figure under the name of Mrs. 
Bush; and no large garden (for they are hardly suited for small 
ones) should be considered complete without a collection of 
them, which can be obtained at a very moderate cost. 
The Dahlia is one of those flowers which require good soil, 
and a liberal supply of manure; and, as the branches are succu¬ 
lent and easily broken, they should have as sheltered a situa¬ 
tion as possible; they should be planted out as soon as danger 
from frost is over, the end of May or beginning of June, but 
even then it will be safer to have some large empty pots to turn 
over them at night. Abundance of room should be given, not less 
than five feet each way. Tying should be carefully attended 
to, first securing the plant to a central stake, with a broad piece 
of bast, and the side branches tied out to three or four stakes 
placed at equal distances from the central one,—superfluous 
branches should be thinned out, and when the plants have attained 
some considerable size, they should be well mulched with half- 
rotted stable manure, and, if the weather be dry and sultry, 
should be abundantly supplied with water. Where fine blooms 
are required, it will be necessary to disbud, that is, to pinch off 
some of the bloom-buds; some varieties require more of this than 
others, but it will be generally found that the catalogues dis¬ 
tinguish those which require much or little disbudding. Where 
