By Cuttings

"The shoots are allowed to grow until they have three pair of leaves, and they are cut off just under the second pair and above the lowest pair. Where one cutting is taken off plenty of others follow, and these are to be served the same way. There must be care used that the cuttings taken off are from three to four inches long, and that you leave a pair of leaves below; for at every leaf there is an embryo bud which will form a shoot, which shoot will in turn yield a cutting, and in two other embryo buds." - Glenny: Gard. and Pract. Flor.

"The cuttings, when taken off, may be struck the same as shoots, but they do not take root so rapidly. It must depend on the room you have whether you will plant a dozen cuttings round a forty-eight-sized pot, or put one cutting each into twelve small ones. In one case but little room is taken up while they are striking, and this is often of importance. When they have struck root they must be potted singly into sixty-sized pots, or thumb-pots, kept in heat a few days to establish them, and then be replaced under some kind of protection till planting them." - Ibid.

Propagation By Eyes

"In cases," adds Mr. Glenny, "where it is of great importance to increase a plant, they may be propagated by eyes, which will double the increase. In this case there may be half a dozen or more plants made out of one shoot, or seedling, taken off properly. Suppose there be three parts of leaves besides the end joint, the end joint, which will have two leaves, and the heart may be cut off close to the under leaves, which may be carefully removed; and thus forms a cutting. The stem left is to be split up, each half having the two or three leaves. These are to be cut close under each leaf. Half the portion of split stem, and the whole of the leaf, still remain, and these must be put an inch into the soil, each forty-eight-sized pot holding six, planted against the sides. The bud at the base of each leaf will make a plantif placed in a hot-bed: and when they have become well rooted they may be placed in separate pots, and kept growing in heat until they are six or eight inches high, when they may be taken into a cooler frame." - Gard. and Pract. Flor.

Propagation From Summer Shoots

"The most important operation in dahlia-growing," concludes Mr. Glen- ny, "is that of securing an increase from the shoots, which can be taken off after the plants have begun to grow in the open ground. These should be struck in the same way as other cuttings; but they must be selected carefully, cut as others are cut, close up to the under side of a pair of leaves, and be struck in a hot-bed in full perfection of heat." - Ibid.

"The soil," says Mr. Glenny and other first-rate authorities," cannot be; too fresh; and of all soils that which produces good grass, as the top spade- ! full of a meadow, is the best. It should have a retentive yet well-drained subsoil, and be kept well supplied with moisture, not only by watering, but frequent hoeing.

"When the ground is poor, and has to be made more fertile, there is no addition equal to the soil formed by rotten turfs cut tolerably thick, which may be estimated at one-half loam and half vegetable mould; but this should be laid on in abundance, and will be far better than dung of any kind. Among the results of planting the dahlia in soil that is too rich, the principal one is that of remarkably vigorous growth, with little bloom, and that little bad." - Ibid.

"Holes in the situations where dahlias are to be planted," says Mr. Fin-tellmann, "are made fifteen inches in diameter and fifteen inches in depth, and filled with this soil; and in these holes, so filled, the young plants are turned out, or the old roots inserted. To retain the moisture, and protect the root from excessive heat, the surface is covered with moss.

"Liquid manure is applied two or three times in the course of the summer." - Gard. Mag.