DAHLIADEl NURSERIES 
STUNT. In our twenty-seven years with dahlias, we 
have dug and destroyed all unhealthy stock, and the 
results are most gratifying. This is properly called 
rogueing. As there are a number of reasons why a 
plant should stunt, it is hard to tell the exact cause. 
Howevei, we do know that rogueing is the only prac- 
tica'I way of eradication, and believe some of the 
causes of stunt may be attributed to one or more of 
the following conditions: 
First: From lowered vitality as a result of poor cul¬ 
ture, lack of cultivation, etc., or forcing the stock with 
manure and water the previous season. 
Second: The ravages of attacking insects, thrips, 
leaf-hoppers, red spiders, stem borers, etc. 
Third: The rotting of the feed roots caused by too 
much water, where drainage is poor, or water in the 
hollow part of the stem. 
Regardless of cause, all stunt should be dug out and 
destroyed. Our many years of this practice leaves us 
less than I per cent to dig annually on most varieties. 
MILDEW. Gray spots on the leaves sometimes cov¬ 
ering the entire leaf are the result of the growth of 
fungus spores known as Mildew. This is a result of 
a condition—lowered vitality—caused by lack of or an 
oversupply of water, planting too close without proper 
air circulation, or extremes. These adverse growing 
conditions are conducive to Mildew. 
Spray with plain Bordeaux Mixture as prescribed on 
package once a week, preferably before the spots 
appear. 
CUT FLOWERS 
Dahlias should be cut in the evening or early morn¬ 
ing, removing the lower leaves and all of the buds of 
the large varieties, if not disbudded. Immediately put 
in water in a cool dark place to freshen for a few 
hours. 
Hot Water Treatment—Cut and freshen as above, 
then put stems in I inch of water, almost boiling, for 
I to 2 minutes. Then place in deep cold water to 
cool. Flowers are then ready to ship by packing in a 
strong corrugated box lined with tissue paper. Fasten 
stems down by nailing a wooden strip in the center 
of the box or by tying down through the bottom. 
Flowers packed snugly will carry better than when 
packed loose and allowed to batter. 
Flowers when wilted can be freshened by cutting 
end of stem and placing in hot water as above. If 
necessary to completely freshen flower, repeat this 
operation but cut off discolored end of stem before 
again placing in hot water. 
The hot water treatment will do wonders in making 
your exhibition blooms keep fresh after staging, but 
do not cut off the discolored end of stem unless you 
are again going to treat it. 
The physcial action of a cut flower is to take water 
up into the stem which evaporates through the flower 
and foliage. The slower this action of evaporation or 
transpiration takes place, the longer the life of the 
flower. From this you will see that buds and foliage 
will shorten the life of your flower. Also avoid placing 
cut flowers in a draft. 
DIGGING and STORING 
After the first killing frost, cut off the tops at the 
ground and allow a few days for the stalks to bleed 
out before digging. Where roots are planted deep, 
some of the top soil can be removed before digging. 
Care should be exercised so that the necks of the 
tuberous roots will not be broken. Loosen the roots 
by prying with a garden fork thrust in the ground 
about a foot from the crown, preferably all the way 
around, before attempting to remove clump. Two 
forks, if available, are even better. Cut the stalk back 
again to about 2 inches above the crown. Then by 
tapping on the cut stalk endwise with a light instru¬ 
ment, most of the dirt will free without injury to the 
necks of the roots. Dry in the sun a few hours, and 
your clumps are ready to store. 
A root or white potato cellar is preferable with a 
temperature of 40 to 45 degrees. In this they need 
no protection or covering. The average house cellar 
is too dry and hot, and in such conditions the clumps 
should be placed in the coolest part and packed, up¬ 
side down in a tight box in practically dry sand, ashes, 
or peat moss. 
When packing in dry material, such as peat moss, 
care should be exercised, first, not to allow clumps to 
sit around and shrivel before packing away, but pack 
away the same day as dug if you are using dry peat 
moss as it comes from the bale. Second, do not use 
more peat moss than necessary to just barely cover 
each layer of clumps before putting in the next layer. 
The reason for this precaution is that all root crops 
sweat when taken into storage. The purpose of the 
peat moss is to absorb this sweat and conserve it for 
later on when the roots need it. Therefore, too much 
peat moss will cause your roots to dry out. 
After the roots are stored a month, it is well to look 
them over, trim out any portion showing rot and dip 
all the fresh cuts in equal parts of sulphur and ground 
gypsum, and pack them back again as before. Should 
the roots show signs of shriveling, place dampened 
peat moss over the top of the box to prevent further 
drying. 
Dahlia roots air dried and so packed should keep well 
until spring with no further handling, providing they 
were grown properly, well ripened, and not frosted. 
DIVIDING CLUMPS 
Dahlia clumps can best be divided with the aid of 
double cutting pruning shears and a pruning knife. 
Broken necks and fibrous roots should first be removed 
as the eyes are on the crown and never on the root 
proper. Then proceed to divide with shears or knife. 
Care should be exercised to have a piece of crown 
with an eye on each one or two roots. Clumps should 
never be planted without dividing. 
WHEN TO DIVIDE. For the amateur in this lati¬ 
tude, clumps are better not divided until early April 
when the eyes should appear if crowns have kept well 
up to this time. Clumps can be divided in January 
and February but on early dividing it is not advisable 
to cut apart to single root divisions, but rather divide 
a clump into two to four pieces, dipping cut portions 
as recommended above and repacking as before, 
changing moisture content to correct either drying out 
or too much moisture which may have started eyes 
developing too rapidly. 
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