E. Bridgewater Dahlia Gardens J. K. Alexander, E. Bridgewater, Massachusetts 
fectly all winter and sending forth sprouts in the 
spring, which is the proper time. 
Dahlias may be dug with fork, spade or plow. 
In digging or harvesting the clumps great care 
should be taken. Dig them and dig very carefully; 
do not pull them up. You have large clusters of 
bulbs or clumps; each bulb has a neck, which is 
the small portion between the bulb and where it 
joins the stalk. The clumps should be dug or lifted 
carefully, so as not to break the necks of the bulbs. 
If you crack, girdle or break the necks sometimes 
they will dry up, other times decay. However, 
when the clumps are divided, the bulbs with broken 
necks are weak and not as good and it requires 
longer for the bulbs to become established before 
they commence to grow after they are planted in 
the ground. After removing the clumps, shake 
gently to remove the soil that would naturally 
fall off. Cut off tops within two or three inches 
above tops of clumps, allowing them to be ex¬ 
posed to the sun and air for only an hour or two. 
Do not allow them to stay out two or three days 
to dry up, then wonder why they are withered and 
fail to sprout. Pack in a cool, frost-proof place 
where extremes of temperature may be avoided— 
a place having an average temperature of about 
45 degrees. Do not cover or pack in any material 
or with any substance. Cork, sawdust, shavings, 
coal ashes, sand or earth, all hold and retain a 
dampness or moisture which is unnatural, making 
it too close, compact and damp, causing the clumps 
to start to mildew or decay. Would you pack 
your potatoes in any of the above? Simply pack 
clumps one on top of the other, placing each clump 
upside down. Undoubtedly you are aware that 
the Dahlia stalk is hollow and that this hollow con¬ 
tains a watery substance or acid. If you pack your 
clumps with the stalks up, the acid will flow back 
into the crown of the clumps, causing decay, where¬ 
as, if you turn your clumps upside down the acid 
must flow out, and clumps will remain in a per¬ 
fectly dormant condition. Pack clumps upside 
down in boxes or barrels, packing one on top of the 
other. Dahlias in an old-fashioned cellar will keep 
first-class without any covering; in 
a cellar having a cement bottom 
or heat, the boxes or barrels should 
be lined with heavy paper and cov¬ 
ered with paper or burlap. Cover¬ 
ing with paper or burlap excludes the 
air and preserves a more even tem¬ 
perature. In heated places the cir¬ 
culation of air and heat causes the 
bulbs to shrivel and dry up; a cover- 
ering of this kind prevents the roots 
from shriveling. 
DIVISION OF CLUMPS. Al¬ 
though I divide clumps all winter, 
it is because of the number of clumps 
I have to divide; I recommend that 
the amateur wait until spring before 
dividing. Dahlias keep during the 
winter much better in clump form. 
In the spring the clumps commence 
to send out sprouts, which aid in 
dividing properly. To divide, use a 
sharp knife. Separate, leaving each 
bulb separate, first dividing the 
dump in half, then dividing to one 
bulb. Plant only one bulb in a hill; 
never plant more than two bulbs. 
In dividing, great care should be 
taken and a portion of the crown or 
stalk should be left on each bulb. 
It is on the crown that the sprout 
starts, and if the bulb has no crown, 
it is worthless. 
large ones. Medium and small sized bulbs more 
often produce the finest and highest colored flow¬ 
ers, and in many cases the best and most effective 
plants. The only requisite of a Dahlia bulb is: 
Be sure that your bulb has one or two eyes or 
sprouts, whether large or small, and with proper 
cultivation success is generally assured. A clump, 
root, bulb, or division of a clump, pot-root, cut¬ 
ting, sprout, and even a Dahlia seed, will grow and 
blossom, all equally well. It is not the size, but the 
care and cultivation—cultivation is the principal 
requirement of the Dahlia. 
CONCLUSION. There are no set rules to follow 
invariably by all or even by any one grower year 
after year. In fact, each soil, location, climate or 
season, may call for different treatment. Study 
your plants; watch them as they develop; try all 
experiments along lines in harmony with nature’s 
laws. Success with Dahlias is the same as with 
anything else; do everything in moderation; ex¬ 
cess in any direction is unwise. In many locations 
conditions are so favorable that Dahlias grow to 
perfection with practically no attention. So it is 
with seasons—some years Dahlias do well the entire 
season, but there is no reason why Dahlias should 
not be grown successfully year after year. My 
methods of cultivation are simple and easily fol¬ 
lowed, the treatment and requirements are so sim¬ 
ple, there is no reason why you should not be suc¬ 
cessful with your Dahlias. The Dahlia is one of 
the easiest plants to grow and will produce more 
flowers than any other plant in the garden, if proprely 
cared for. 
WILL WANT MORE FLOWERS LATER. 
J. K. Alexander. Pittston, Pa., May 4th, 1918. 
Dear Sir:— I am pleased to tell you the box of 
bulbs arrived this A. M., and I found them to be 
in perfect condition and very nice bulbs. I notice 
you sent an extra Queen Emma, for which I wish 
to thank you. I shall want more flowers from you 
later. MRS. J. J. BRYDEN, 
36 Swallow St. 
SIZE OF BULBS. The size of the 
bulb or tuber does not in any way 
designate the size or quality of the 
flower. Some varieties of Dahlias 
always produce very small bulbs, 
while other varieties make large 
ones. Do not consider small bulbs 
worthless, for they are equally as 
good and in many cases better than Dahlia Clump, Showing Proper Method of Dividing. 
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