IONIA, MICHIGAN 
about the right time for most locations, al¬ 
though they can be planted as late as June 20th with good suc- 
ce ® s * sized stakes about 6 feet long - should be secured 
and driven into the ground about 3 feet apart each way. Holes 
should be dug about 6 inches deep at the base of each stake 
and a bulb planted in each hole with the eye end next to the 
stake, laying them perfectly flat. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANC¬ 
ES SHOULD THEY BE STOOD ON END. Then place abode 
2 mches of well pulverized soil over each bulb but do not 
nil hole clear up. Wait until the plant makes some growth and 
then fill hole up as the plant grows up. 
GROWING—Allow only one sprout to grow from each tuber 
If more than one comes up, save the best one and pinch the 
others off. As the sprout grows, it should be tied to the stake 
to keep it from being broken off by heavy rains or wind. 
WATERING.—Dahlias like plenty of water and should be 
soaked once every week, and oftener while in bloom. Al¬ 
ways cultivate well after watering as soon as the ground 
is dry enough to work in order to loosen up the crust that 
has formed. You can easily overwater when plants are young, 
but you cannot over-cultivate them. It is better not to water 
than to allow a crust to form after watering. As buds form 
on the blants, they should be removed as soon as they appear, 
up to August 1st. The idea is to grow your plant first, and 
then let it bloom. 
DISBUDDING—To grow extra large flowers you should 
disbud your plants. At the tip of every branch you will notice 
a cluster of several bulbs. The largest and best should be 
left and the other buds pinched off, thus forcing all the strength 
in that branch into the one bud and producing a large, beauti¬ 
ful bloom. Do not be afraid that you will not get enough flow¬ 
ers, if you remove a good number of buds, as the average 
dahlia plant will produce ten times as many buds as it can 
mature into good flowers. The two sets of leaves below the 
bud should also have the side growths pinched out while they 
are still small, so that the blooms will have good stems. 
SPRAYING—During the hot days of Summer insects, pests 
such as Aphids, Thrips, Leaf Hoppers, Green Flies, Cucumber 
Beetles, etc., are more or less prevalent and dahlia plants are 
generally attacked by them. If any of these pests should be 
noticed on or around the plants they should be sprayed at once 
with a good insecticide. It is generally best to spray before 
any insects appear rather than to wait until they make their 
presence known. In the latter case, many times, the plants are 
so debilitated or stunted from the ravages of these pests that 
spraying will be of little help. We have found the best way to 
hold these pests in check is to start spraying the plants at 
regular intervals of about two weeks, starting in when the 
plants are about a foot high. Last year we used Red Arrow 
Insect Spray and found it to be the best we ever used. 
DIGGING THE BULBS—Late in the Fall after heavy frost 
has blackened the tops, Dahlias should be dug and removed to 
a frost proof cellar for storage during the winter. The digging 
must be done very carefully as the single bulb planted in the 
Spring will now have made a large clump. The clump should 
be loosened from all sides and then .carefully lifted, taking 
great care so as not to break the necks of the bulbs. Any cel¬ 
lar that potatoes can be stored in successfully will be alright 
for Dahlias. They must be kept cool and away from heat, 
otherwise they will start to grow' again if the cellar is too warm. 
If the cellar is equipped with a furnace, the bulbs should be 
removed as far as possible from all heat and covered over with 
some light material such as straw', sand, or sawdust. Soil is 
alright providing it is dry. 
DIVIDING THE CLUMPS—In the Spring as soon as the 
eyes or sprouts begin to show' the clumps should be divided. 
To do this, first split the clumps by cutting through the 
stalk with a good strong pocket knife or short bladed butcher 
knife if you have one. Then cut each half in two, trying to 
divide the bulbs so that each one will have a piece of the stalk 
with an eye or sprout attached to the bulb. The eyes are all 
formed around the base of the stalk there being none on the 
bulbs so in dividing, great care must be used to see that each 
bulb has a piece of stalk with an eye on it attached to the bulb, 
otherwise they will not grow. 
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GUARANTEE—All roots or plants sent to customers 
are guaranteed to be true to name and from healthy par¬ 
ent stock and to grow if given reasonable care on ar¬ 
rival and after planting; we are ready and willing to re¬ 
place any that should prove otherwise. 
