Dahlia Do’s 
Get your soil in as fine condition as possible before plant- 
ing. 
Keep top soil stirred; allow no crust to form or grass to 
grow near plants. 
Water only during dry spell; on soil, not on plant. 
Pinch or cut 1/3 of the plant (top) when about 18 inches 
high, to produce lower, bushy growth. 
Drive a stake about 6 inches from your plant and tie to it. 
Keep all old bloom off. The more bloom you cut judicious- 
ly, the more will the plant produce. 
Mulching around base of plants when in bloom conserves 
the moisture. 
A week or 10 days after killing frost, dig plants carefully, 
cut stalk off within an inch of the clump, and store, upside 
down, in a somewhat damp cellar, or, put in boxes and cover 
with sand, soil or peat to prevent drying of roots, and store 
where least dry and coolest. 
Examine roots occasionally during Winter; if any rot 
shows, cut it out and dust the cut place with sulfur. 
When soil is warm in Spring, divide the clumps so that an 
“eye” with be with each division; one tuber divisions are as 
good as many tubers, so, cut away the excess. 
To keep track of your varieties, moisten a tuber on each 
clump and print the name of the variety on it with an 
indelible pencil. 
Remember that dahlias do best in the open; they like sun- 
shine, air and cultivation. 
Do write us for any information we may be able to supply. 
Dahlia Don’t’s 
Don’t plant before the soil is warm. 
Don’t plant in wet soil. 
Don’t sprinkle—water at base of plant. 
Don’t plant under trees or among bushes. 
Don’t fertilize unless your soil is poor, or you want Exhibi- 
tion blooms. ' 
Don’t let a crust form or weeds grow near your plants. 
Don’t fail to remove all bloom when past its prime. 
Don’t cut the tops off after frost; the roots should ripen a 
week or two before digging. 
Don’t expect to get good results from roots which had been 
grown the previous year under “high culture” for Exhibition 
purposes, unless you can give them the same treatment. 
Don’t go wild over every New Sort; 80% are not as good 
as the older sorts. 
Don’t fail to tell us how grand our dahlias did for you; 
we appreciate your good word. 
Don’t believe that all much heralded New sorts are supe- 
rior; many of the older, low-priced dahlias are better than 
most of the new, high-priced ones. 
Don’t thing that a small tuber is inferior to a large one; in 
most instances the small one is the best. 
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