Factors (I) and (2) need no comment other than the varieties which we ofFer 
in this catalogue are the result of several years of careful selection from the finest 
novelties placed on the market from all parts of the world. Each year we try many 
new sorts, then discard those which have no definite place in the better class gardens, 
and offer only the best to our customers. Our fields are carefully and frequently 
Inspected. All inferior plants and those showing any symptoms of disease are destroyed. 
Our cultural methods are productive of the very finest quality roots and plants obtain¬ 
able. 
Selection of the location for the garden is usually quite restricted, but fortunately 
dahlias will do well In any type of soil and in a wide variety of climate. A good site 
is one that receives several hours of sunlight each day and has good drainage, so that 
water does not stand on the ground very long after rains. More important than the 
type of soil or the location of the garden Is the condition of the soil at planting time, 
and during the growing season. We believe that more failures with dahlias are due to 
the lack of proper conditioning of the soil than to any other single factor. This is 
especially regretable since it Is a factor which may be easily controlled. 
The soil of the garden should be kept loose while the plants are growing, espe¬ 
cially in the early part of the season. Light sandy soils need the least preparation, 
providing they contain enough humus to hold a sufficient amount of moisture. Humus 
m.ay be supplied by, planting a cover crop of rye in the fall to spade under in the 
spring, peat moss mixed into the soil, barnyard manures, and by vegetative refuse such 
as lawn grass clippings, leaves, etc. 
Heavy clay soils may be made lighter by the generous use of furnace ashes or 
cinders mixed with the soil of the garden, or just in the hills. Lime also tends to loosen 
the soil but should not be used oftener than every four or five years and never in 
connection with barnyard manures. A cover crop of rye also aids in the loosening or 
lightening of the soil. Stirring the soil frequently to a depth of five or six Inches helps 
to maintain the soil In proper condition. It must be remembered that the tender roots 
of the dahlia will not reach out as readily in search of food. In hard ground, as they 
will in looser soil. The dahlia is a very heavy "feeder" and needs a large efficient root 
system. Also, air and water penetrate more easily InFo loose soil to aid in the chemical 
transformation of soil elements Into plant food. 
Spade the garden two or three weeks before planting time. Leave the surface 
rough until actual setting of the roots or plants. Never try to "fit" the soil when It is 
so wet that it sticks to the tools. Planting should not be started until the soil has 
started to warm up in the spring, which in the latitude of northern Ohio Is about May 
15th to May 20th. Planting may be continued until June 15th or later. 
We suggest planting in furrows or trenches about five Inches deep running the 
length of the row. Place the root flat in the bottom of the trench and cover with two 
or three inches of soil. Fill In the rest of the trench as the plant grows. Rows should 
be at least three, or preferably, four feet apart. Plants in the row should be thirty-six 
inches apart when planting large sorts. (Small type dahlias sixteen to twenty-four 
inches apart.) Stakes to support the plants later may be driven at planting time five 
or six inches from the eye or sprout. Further Instructions for the care and planting of 
"GREEN PLANTS" are enclosed with each shipment of our plants. 
Many failures with "GREEN PLANTS" are due to Improper cultural methods at the 
start of the growing season. Normal growth should be the aim. It Is not uncommon for 
the gardener to employ all methods within his knowledge to get his plants off to a 
fast start. A fast growth is also a soft growth which Is easily injured by the heat and 
dry weather of mid-summer. Such Injuries result in a check to the plant and a resultant 
hardening of the plant tissues. When the tissues become hard, or woody, they lose 
their properties to expand, or grow. Thereafter, no greater amounts of plant food can 
pass up through the stalk than was the case when the hardening took place. Growth 
practically ceases. When this has occurred, first class results can be obtained only by 
cutting the plant back to the ground and starting all over. In many cases this will be 
too late to obtain blooms. 
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