Spade your garden a couple of weeks before planting time. Boadcast 
a good potato fertilizer before digging. 
Coal ashes or cinders are fine for loosening up heavy soils. Put a 
big shovelful in each hill. Mix it thoroughly with the soil. 
Four inches is a good planting depth in moderately heavy soil. Six 
inches in sandy soil. Cover with only about two inches of soil. 
Be sure that your garden has good water drainage. 
Do not water the garden after planting roots. Sometimes plants will 
need a little water the first few days. Do not let the soil “cake” after 
watering. 
Be on the lookout for insect pests, and don’t delay your spray pro¬ 
gram. Insects may start to work the day the plant shows in the garden. 
Hoe your garden at least once a week, oftener is better. Never allow 
a crust to form after rains. Early in the season, stir the soil to a depth 
of six inches, not so deep close to the plant. Later in the season cultiva¬ 
tion should not be so deep. When the dahlias are starting to bloom culti¬ 
vation may be discontinued. 
Another application of fertilizer as the buds begin to appear will be 
beneficial. Never “overfeed.” Depend upon disbudding and disbranching 
for large flowers. 
One application of “dusting sulphur” about Sept. 1st will prevent 
mildew. Apply to the under sides of the leaves when the dew is on them, 
preferably on a morning which promises to be clear. Just; dust the lower 
part of the bush. 
If your soil needs humus, rye may be sowed broad-cast in October, 
while the dahlias are still growing. Spade it under in the spring. 
After frosts have killed the dahlias entirely, cut the stalks off at the 
ground. An old saw is fine for this. 
A long tinned fork is beter than a spade for digging the clumps. Two 
people, one on each side of the hill, will save a lot of “breakage” of roots 
and necks. 
Hollow stemmed clumps should be turned up-side-down to drain. 
Do not leave the clumps out in the sun to dry more than a few 
minutes. A few hours spread out to dry, in the basement, is enough un¬ 
less they are very wet. 
Pack away in paper lined containers, after cutting the stalk off, about 
two inches above the crown. Cover well with paper, and keep the air away, 
from the clumps as much as possible. 
Best storage temperature is about forty degrees. 
Look at the clumps after they have been in storage three weeks. Stem- 
rot usually starts within that time. Trim out affected parts and dust with 
sulphur. 
Splitting the clumps at digging time often prevents stem-rot. 
After the first inspection of the clumps in storage', it is well to look 
at them once or twice during the winter. 
Clumps may be divided at any time but it is best to wait until the 
eyes show, usually in early spring. Allow but one eye to each division. 
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