412 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY 
and keep the heat up to 55° or 60 Q , not higher. Give 
air in sunny weather, and water when required. The 
buds will soon start, and in a short time the shoots will 
be long enough to take off; they are then ready for 
propagation. In the meantime a second hotbed should 
be made to be ready for the cuttings. 
Propagation. —As soon as the shoots are two or three 
inches long no time must be lost in preparing cutting 
pots to receive them. Some use only one pot for each 
cutting, and where there is plenty of hotbed room it is 
a good plan, because then there is no danger of breaking 
off the young and tender roots in potting them off after 
they have made them; but if room is circumscribed, 
then pots four or five inches wide may be used. In 
either case the pots should be thoroughly drained, and 
filled with light, moderately rich soil, leaving space for 
about half an inch of pure silver sand. When a suffi¬ 
cient number are filled give a gentle watering to settle 
the sand, and proceed to gather all the cuttings that are 
sufficiently advanced. Should such a case occur as only 
one shoot to be springing from one plant, and no more 
buds visible, then cut off the cutting with a sharp knife, 
leaving the two lowest buds on the plant. These will 
spring up directly, and soon afford two more cuttings. 
When the shoots are numerous they may be carefully 
slipped off entire, and planted just as they are, unless 
any jagged pieces appear: these should be carefully 
pared off. Great care should be taken that each cut¬ 
ting, or batch of cuttings of any one variety, are all 
correctly and securely labelled, so that no mistake should 
occur. Wherever it can be done one pot should be 
filled with one variety; for where two or three or more 
sorts are put in one pot they are, without very great 
care, apt to get mixed, and thus lead to confusion 
and uncertainty. It is better to use a small pot for 
one cutting where only one is afforded, or a little 
larger for two, a size larger for three, and so on in pro 
portion to the number of cuttings of any one kind. Too 
large pots, however, should be avoided; they take up 
room, and are unmanageable in potting off the cuttings. 
When the cuttings are gathered, plant them as quickly 
as possible in their respective pots, using a smooth, 
small dibber. Ivory is the best material, though I have 
used a common goose quill just as it is plucked from 
the wing, excepting the feathery part cut in so as to 
be handy. Fasten the cuttings in firmly close round the 
rim of the pot. I would place even a single cutting in 
a small pot close to the side. I think they sooner strike 
root in that position than when planted in the middle of 
the pot. 
When all are planted set the pots in the hotbed 
that has been prepared for them, covering the dung 
previously with a sufficient covering of sand or coal 
ashes to keep down the rank steam. The only care they 
require then is securely shading from the sun’s beams, 
and supplies of tepid water whenever the sand appears 
dry. Dahlias are not difficult to strike. I seldom lost 
a single cutting, though some varieties strike root more 
readily than others. As soon as symptoms of growth 
appear no time should be lost in potting them off; for, 
if allowed to stop in the cutting pot too long, the roots 
become matted together, and there is considerable 
difficulty and danger in separating them. Three-inch¬ 
wide pots are quite large enough for the first pot. Use 
the following compost for this purpose:—One-third 
decayed leaf mould, two-thirds decayed, turfy loam, with 
a small portion of sand to keep it open. When all are 
potted off place them again in the hotbed, and keep 
them there till fresh roots are made, shading on sunny 
days, and giving air to keep down the heat. After 
they are fairly established place them in a cold frame 
sufficiently covered up every night to keep off the frosts 
that may occur ; but on all fine days draw off the lights, 
and fully expose the plants. By this treatment, with 
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, March 17, 1857. 
due supplies of water, the plants will thrive, and grow 
stout and strong. Many Dahlias are sadly spoiled by 
being too much confined, and kept too warm. Those 
who wish to have good strong plants by the planting- j 
out time should repot the plants as soon as the pots are 
filled with roots. With this extra care they will grow 
surprisingly strong, and will flower stronger and earlier, 
and the blooms will, in consequence, be finer. It may j 
even be necessary to remove these strong plants out of 
the frame, and place them under a canvass awning, to 
shelter them from the spring frosts, till it is safe to plant 
them out in the open ground. 
Where the stock of roots is large, and the amateur 1 
does not care to increase them, he may either plant each 
root entire or divide each into two or more divisions, 
taking care to leave at least two buds to each. Even 
if this method is adopted it is desirable to give the 
division a start in a gentle heat, so as to have them ad¬ 
vanced in growth by the planting season. 
Planting out. —The ground being forked over as i 
directed above, and all the plants in readiness, the i 
planting may be done as soon as it is tolerably certain 
that the frosts are all over. As stakes must be had for 
the Dahlia, it is an excellent plan to drive them 
first in the exact places where the plants are to grow. 
Some grow their Dahlias round the borders of the 
garden near to the walks; but by far the best plan is to 
devote a square piece of ground for them. In that case 
care should be taken to plant the tallest growers either ' 
in the centre or on one side, the second size next to ! 
them, and the dwarfs in front. This is much more 
artistical and desirable than planting them indiscrimi- j 
nately. When planted so, the dwarfest are almost 
smothered and their beauty concealed by their gigantic 
brethren. The distance from plant to plant should 
never be less than six feet in the row, and seven feet | 
between the rows. In good, rich ground these spaces 
should be increased, that is, of course, if the grower 
can spare so much space. By giving plenty of room 
the grower and his friend can walk amongst them, and 
see the flowers without brushing against and breaking 
the branches; and, besides that, the operations of tying, 
sheltering the blooms, mulching the ground, and water- J 
ing in dry weather, may be done with greater con¬ 
venience and less injury to the plants. Choose a dry, 
still day for the planting; bring out the plants, and set 
them in their places, securing the labels to the stalks; 
then, to make doubly sure, take a memorandum-book, 
and write down the names as they stand in the rows, 
commencing at one corner and ending at the opposite 
one. This may be done either just before planting 
or immediately after it. The operation of planting is 
simple enough. All that is required is to turn each 
plant carefully out of the pot, and place it in a hole made 
with a small spade nearly close to the stake, planting 
it a little deeper than the ball, and closing the earth firmly 
round it; then gather up the pots, tie each plant to its 
stake, give a good watering, and the next day rake over 
the ground to give it a neat appearance. The operation 
is then finished, and the future management is compre¬ 
hended under the head 
Summer Treatment. —During this season the opera- I 
tions necessary are constant attention to keep the plants 
tied to the stakes, mulching the ground round each 
plant, watering freely in dry weather, shading the 
blossoms as they expand, and diligently looking after 
and destroying insects. I need scarcely say that the 
ground should be kept clear of weeds: that every lover 
of his flowers will be sure to attend to. On each of 
these operations I will make a few remarks. Particular 
attention should be given to the ties. During the grow¬ 
ing months the stems will swell surprisingly, so much 
so that it will be necessary to cut the first strings, or 
they will cut the stems almost in two. I have seen 
