too cold and damp, the possibility of freezing or absorbing a fungus condition 
which leads to rot. We do not advise soaking in water or too wet a medium 
of any kind to force the eye into sprouting; this only leads to trouble. Finally, 
check your soil for wire worms and cut worms; a wire worm can eat the eye right 
out of the tuber, eliminating any possibility of producing a plant. Consult your 
garden insecticide dealer for one of the new products which contains benzine 
hexachloride and use as directed for a control of wire worms and other pests 
living in the soil. 
Dahlia Culture 
For the healthy growth and the lovely blooms your Dahlia planting should be 
expected to produce, just a few simple requirements are demanded. These are 
easy to understand and follow when we consider the manner in which the 
Dahlia plant grows. 
The root division which we plant has an eye near or on the part of the stalk 
which forms the top of the root. This eye contains the really important part of 
the entire root, and from it a stalk and feed roots grow to form the Dahlia plant. 
The rest of the root is merely a 
dinner basket to supply necessary 
nourishment for starting the new 
plant. As soon as the feed roots, 
very fine at first, reach the point 
where they start to supply enough 
plant food to enable the newly- 
formed leave above ground to 
begin to work, the original root 
has performed its purpose and 
may as well be disregarded. In 
proof of this, the root you plant 
may be cut in half or a still 
smaller portion be planted with a 
resultant vigorous plant, provid- 
ing the conditions of soil and 
moisture, etc., are made right. 
Thus the new plant needs noth- 
ing in the way of fertilizer or irri- 
. ‘ gation until the new feed roots 
Mrs. Geo. Pezant—Incurved Cactus are established. And the more 
numerous and _ faster-growing 
these feed roots, the stronger the plant and the better the crop of roots for the 
next year. Any fertilizer should for this reason,, not be placed in the hole in 
which th root is planted, but spread over the entire Dahlia plot, as the new 
roots will cover in most cases the entire space allotted to your Dahlias. 
Some of these new roots will thicken and begin to store up starch and other 
food elements, forming the new crop of storage roots. It is when these are 
growing and the buds on the plant are beginning to open that plenty of plant 
food and water are necessary. It is known that one bloom in its formation requires 
many times the water and food that is needed for the foliage and stalk growth. 
It is clear anything which tends to interfere with the growth of these new feed 
roots will stunt the growth of the plant, so an over-supply of water at the start, 
or the presence of rotting vegetation or manure, anything which will cause these 
roots to rot before they reach a healthy growth, is to be avoided. Plenty of room 
4 
