Evening star., 1938-09-17

tubers are left intact over winter
stored in cool, moist place. In the
spring at planting time the tubers
are cut apart with ope eye to each
tuber.
The tubers are planted in holes 6 to
8 inches deep. Set the stake which IS
to be used for supporting the plant at
the time of planting. One tuber to
each hole and cover lightly. The holes
being filled as the shoots grow. Many
growers put some fertilizers in the
holes-below the tubers at planting
time.
As the shoot emerges from the tuber
it is pinched back when the third pair
Of leaves are developed. Some grow
ers leave but one pair Of leaves; others
leave two New shoots will put out
from the axis Of the leaves and the
plant will then have two or four
branches, depending on how far 1t
was cut back. The new branches may
also be pinched back to promote still
more branches. depending upon the
objective-flowers for cutting or for
exhibition.
As the dahlias approach full size,
buds will begin to form in the axis of
the leaves. For exhibition purposes
these are all removed-leaving only
the terminal bud-the one which will
produce the largest flower. For cut
ting purposes many of the buds should
be removed to produce long stems.
For the home gardener who enjoys
flowers and does not care about size
and long stems the plant may be left
untouched and 1t will produce q mar
velous display
CUTTINGS may be taken from the
new shoots and rooted in sand,
and they will produce fine flowers and
good tubers. They are the source of
the dahlia plants offered by many
commercial growers at lower prices
than for tubers. The only drawback
to cuttings is that they should be
started rather early and few gardeners
are equipped to grow them in Febru-
ary and early March
The propagation Of dahlias from
seeds is not at all difficult While
some gardeners start seeds in boxes
indoors in March. they will do nearly
as we'll when planted out Of doors.
Seeds do not come true and hence any
seeding is more or less newt is
different.
For the home gardener tubers offer
the most practical method OF propa-
CATION Of named varieties.
In the South the dahlia is treated
as perennial and Is left in the ground
the year round. In this section, it Is
too tender and we must lift the tubers
in the fall and store in a frost-free
place. After a frost has killed the
tops Of the dahlias they should be dug
and stored. It Is common practice
to cut the stalks or 5 inches above
the ground and to leave the tubers
for a few days to mature They are
then dug, dried and cleaned. There
is no advantage in leaving dirt on the
roots over winter.
Since most of us store the tubers in
a heated basement We must protect
them from drying out Packed in dry
peat moss and stored in the coolest
part is usually successful Owing to the
heat and drvness of the usual base
ment it is desirable to examine the
tubers at intervals during the winter
to make sure they do not shrivel. At
any signs OF shriveling the peatmoss
should be moistened. Winter is really
the most difficult time for dahlias, as
few gardeners have cool, moist stor-
age space.
Since there are some 5000 regis
tered named varieties of dahlias any
discussion of varieties is endless. Go
to the dahlia shows several Of which
are scheduled for September and Oc-
tober, and observe the varieties ex-
hibited. They are. for the most part,
grown locally and thus will do well
here.