water a day is not too much to apply to each plant
in a dry season.

The soil must be rich. In a poor soil development will be on a par with
that of plants which have been given a dry place.

Because of the peculiar brittleness of the stalks of the Dahlia it is
quite necessary to furnish them with good support. My plan is to set a
stout stake by each plant, at planting-time. This should be at least
five feet tall. I put it in place at the time of planting the tuber,
because then I know just where the root of the future plant is, and can
set the stake without injuring it. But if stake-setting is left until
later in the season one runs a risk of breaking off some of the new
tubers that have formed about the old one. I tie the main stalk of the
plant to the stake with a strip of cloth instead of a string, as the
latter will cut into the soft wood. Sometimes, if the plant sends up a
good many stalks, it will be necessary to furnish additional support.
Unless some kind of support is given we are likely to get up some
morning after a heavy rain, or a sudden wind, and find our plants broken
down, and in attempting to save them we are pretty sure to complete the
wreck, as a slight twist or turn in the wrong direction will snap the
stalk off at its junction with the root.

The Dahlia will be found one of our very best plants for use in the
border where something is needed for a filler. It is very effective as a
hedge, and can be used to great advantage to hide a fence. Single
specimens are fine for prominent locations on the grounds about the
house. In fact, it is a plant that can be made useful anywhere.

[Illustration: CACTUS DAHLIA]

In fall, when our early frosts come, it will be necessary to protect it
on cool nights, as it is extremely tender. This can be easily done by
setting some stout sticks about the plant and covering it with a sheet.
If tided over the frosty weather that usually comes for two or three
nights about the middle of September, it will bloom profusely during the
weeks of pleasant weather that almost always follow the early frosts,
and then is when it will be enjoyed most.

When the frost has killed its stalks, it should be dug and got ready for
winter. Lift the great mass of roots that will have grown from the
little tuber planted at the beginning of the season, and do this without
breaking them apart, if possible. Spread them out in the sun. At night
cover with a blanket, and next day expose them t