Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29

from year to year, with the introduce
ton of new ones. The Oldest variety IN
the list Of the II preferred by the ex-
pert8 Is Sycamore, which dates from
1921.
Among these popular varieties are
Belle Of Springfield. brick red. often q
prize winner for the smallest. flower;
Nerissa, pink: Grus aus Wien, crushed
strawberry; Joe Fette, white; Johnnie,
maroon; Little Beeswing, golden vel
low, tipped cherry-red; Raider, yellow;
Sunny Daybreak, yellow, edged red;
Tom Thumb, garnet red; Vivid, scarlet,
and Yellow Gem.
Then, there are single Powered dahl
las, like Newport Wonder, of q crush
ed-rasberry tint and Newport Angel
white, and the ceollarettes, like Ami
Nonin, amaranth-rose, with white
collar" and Maurice Rivoire, crimson
with q white collar-all Of which are
favored by certain people with artistic
makes no appeal.
Also, theree Is the so-called cactus
type, with the edges Of the rays rolled
outward or backward, so as to give q
more or less tubular and pointed effect
to the rays. Among these the old
Countess Of LonSdale variety, which
has been on the market since 1895, is
still popular for garden decoration. Its
salmon-pink flowers are not large, from
the modern point Of view, but the va
riety is q dependable and profuse
bloomer, and, as it nearly always per-
forms well, is one Of the best to recon-
mend to a beginner. An old dahlia va
riety that Is still grown must have its
good points.
Grow Best on Slopes.
It has been found that q light loan,
with good drainage, Is most favorable
soil for dahlias. They commonly do
better on a slope than on level land.
Dahlias need plenty OF water after they
begin to blossom, but, like roses and
peonies, they do not grow well in places
where they are continuously wet.
The soil should be kept well stirred
up to the middle of September at least.
In using artificial watering, 1t is best,
as in gardening practice in general, to
soak the ground down TO a depth OF a
foot or two once or twice week.
Daily sprinkling is Of doubtful value. .
A heavy clayey soil that is inclined
to bake down hard in Summer is often
improved by sand or even coal ashes
Spaded in to the depth OF three to six
inches. Neither sand nor coal ashes
adds much to the plant food In the
soil, but they may improve its me-
chanical texture, making the soil more
porous, enabling it to hold moisture
longer. II ashes or sand Is added, one
should increase the fertilizer or plant
food accordingly.
Leafhoppers, small sucking insects OF
other kinds, also inhabiting the lower
surfaces of the leaves and producing
similar effects, are often injurious to
dahlias. Spraying with pyrethrum ex-
tract or busting with q pyrethrum
powder appears to be an effective
method of control. Some form Of nico-
tine-sulphate is also commonly used
for this purpose.
When the lifted clumps of dahlia
roots are stored for the Winter in an
ordinary cellar or basement contain
ing a furnace, they need some form
of covering, such as sand, newspapers.
or gunny bags to prevent excessive
shriveling and perhaps complete loss
of vitality. One must strike a happy
medium between too much covering
and too little. This medium can be
determined only by actual experience.