Withered, wilted or bruised petals on the back of the flower will score against your 
entry. Blooms from which such petals have been plucked, will be scored as though the 
bad petals are still present. 
Many exhibitors overlook the importance of good foliage. Leaves showing insect 
injury, diseases or mechanical damage are taken into account by judges. No foliage is 
worse than bad foliage. 
Size alone won't win. In selecting blooms for entry, first select for perfection and 
second, for size. You will find that all-around perfection is quite closely tied up with 
suitable size. 
Remember judges are judges because of years of experience as growers, exhibitors 
and students of dahlia perfection. They know the importance of factors which seem trivial 
to others. Don't criticise them. They make a great many decisions in a very short time, 
and as a whole, have a very small percentage of error. 
If properly approached, most judges will gladly point out the flaws in your entry, 
but do not approach him until he has finished judging. 
Be a good sport, win or lose. ‘Laugh and the world laughs with you—cry and you 
cry alone." 
Cultural Hints 
Although dahlias may be grown in almost any ordinary garden soil, to produce a 
beautiful effect in massed color with but little attention, they respond very readily to 
a little extra care. 
Fine dahlias are the result of a number of factors, most important of which are: 
(1) good vigorous disease-free stock; (2) choice of varieties which naturally produce 
high quality blooms; (3) location of the garden; (4) proper planting; (5) cultivation; 
(6) intelligent fertilization and spraying; (7) pruning and dis-budding; and (8) the 
successful winter storage of the clumps. 
Factors (1) and (2) need no comment other than that 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 obtainable. 
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 regrettable 
since it is a factor which may be easily controlled. 
The soil of the garden should be kept loose while the plants are growing, especially 
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 may be sup- 
plied 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. 
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