PLANTING AND CARE OF DAHLIAS 
Scatter about five pounds of good fertilizer called 5-10-5 or 
any good fertilizer you can get. Five pounds of fertilizer would 
be enough to cover 40 dahlias. Then spade the Garden. Then 
drive stakes in the ground to hold the dahlias from being 
broken by rain or wind. Next dig a hole six inches deep and 
lay the dahlia in the hole flat, with the sprout upward and 
cover the dahlia with two inches of soil. Do not fill the hole 
up. Fill the hole as the dahlia grows up. Allow only one 
sprout to grow, pinch all the others that grow. About the first 
of August scatter one handfull of the same fertilizer and one 
handful of sheep manure around each plant, keeping it six 
inches away from the dahlia plant. About August 15th repeat 
the same treatement. Dahlias like plenty of water and should 
be soaked every ten days, and oftener while in bloom. Al- 
ways cultivate well after watering. As soon as the ground is 
dry enough to work in order to loosen up the crust that has 
formed. The more you cultivate the better result you get. 
During the hot days of summer, insects or pests such as aphids, 
thrips, leaf hoppers and green flies and cucumber beetles are 
generally attacked by them. If any of these pests should 
be noticed on or around the plants they should be sprayed 
at once with a good insecticide. It is best to spray before any 
insects appear, rather than to wait until they make their pres- 
ence known. In the latter case many times the plants are 
stunted from these pests. We have found the best way to hold 
these pests in check is to spray the plants with Red Arrow. 
