Show 1 ra emd the their i r C zire 4 and C 11 t r good specimen of a healthy dahlia TO GROW DAHLIAS plant them it if there Is no danger of frost outdoors about three feet apart each way not in too rich ground then when they commence to brow grow get a good stick a broom handle is good and tie them up with either cetton cloth or raffia it Is best to raise them with a single stem take halt half the branches off so the air and light will circulate well around the plants as they take time to make large plants place some sticks over them and attack a piece of canvas sheet or blanket to protect them from the first frost the plants thus protected last tour four weeks longer and it pays for the labor because you get the finest flow ers and lots of them the tuber gets ripe better too when the dahlias are killed by frost cut out the tops do not dip them too early wait until the hard frost comes they can stand until november 15 they also get more nourishment from the ground when you dig them be careful not to bruise them let them stay in the sun to dry then put them in their winter quarters a cellar that Is frostproof Is a good place cover them with sand but it if your cellar has concrete floors or Is too cold they will get mildew and die put some boards on the bottom one should sow some dahlia seed they grow much stronger than either tubers or cuttings and one Is well repaid the seeds sown in early sp spring ring will flower from the middle of july until frost those that do not suit can be thrown away and the best ones can be kept over for another season it if the season is a dry one some of the plants in the garden will have to be watered it if you want flowers from tham this is especially true of the dahlia use enough water to penetrate all the soil in which their roots grow and see that it is kept moist watering today and neglecting for a week to come isn t the proper thing save the suds from wash day tor for thia this purpose the soap in the water will benefit the plants be sure to supply substantial sup port tor for your dahlias it if this Is not done you will be likely to find them broken some morning after a sudden wind or a hard rain storm the stakes should be at least four feet tall allow an extra foot and a halt half for insertion in the ground and they should be at least an inch through and of good sound wood paint them a dull green and they will not be unpleasantly obtrusive tie the stalks to them with broad strips of cloth instead of strings the latter will cut into the tender branches when they are whipped by the wind MAKE THE GARDEN NEAT too much stress cannot be laid upon neatness in the garden it if faded dowers and fallen leaves are allowed to accumulate the charm that should characterize it is gone and no amount of bloom can make up for the lack of are which is thus made manifest WATCH THE YOUNG TREES young trees should be watched and the open spaces in the ground about them which have been made by the wind swaying the trees should be well ormed down tha is important before the heavy q 0 sl sphinx A EARLY WORK IN BULB GARDEN by JULIE ADAMS POWELL with the first warm days the bu bulb ip ous plants spring up and many a be ginner has tried in vain to push them back until warm weather As a rule it is best to let nature be dictator hardy bulbs will endure lots of cold and if they do sometimes get helplessly nipped ot of flower buds by undue haste there Is more frequently damage done to the riots by trying to curb the growth do not be in a hurry to remove the leaves which should have been their winter coverlet loosen them up grad bally taking care that the plants are not smothering it if the weather con finues fine work the loose leaves a little more into the soil every day thus gradually making the change there is less drain upon the bulba bulbs it the blossoms are picked as soon as they commence to wither look to it that the ditches and drains are in good order some cut the tops from hyacinths as soon as the leaves turn yellow remove them tod plant annuals this Is a very neat way of getting rid of the tm bulbs and most effectually as a EL rule but it you wish hyacinths another year there is a better way unless you can afford to purchase new bulbs those discolored leaves are a feces sity to the plant while ripening the bulbs and it if they cannot be tolerated a permissible compromise is to trans plant the bulbs to some out 0 ot f the way corner ot of the yard where they can ripen in peace they may then be dried and packed away tor for autumn planting it is better to replant the hardy bulbs at least once in two or three years else they become too thickly matted bes des the soil needs a renewal of fert lizer iller and this can never be so well done as when the bed is empty there is ofin ott n complaint that the fashioned old white narcissus poet cus blasts in the bud this is usually remedied by resetting the bulbs which have become matted together it if you have a number of 0 varieties ot of tulips and more time and patience than money to buy new varieties there is often much pleasure in grow ing tulips from seed some ot of the soft shades of old rose have been in our own garden evolved from the cross fertilization of standard forms there is a pleasure too in watching the unfolding of the unknown new varieties purchased of seeds men are always announced and their bea eq described but these seedlings are positively new and some of them are strikingly beautiful it if in planting your tulips carmine and scarlet are in painful contrast mark the one for removal at the prop er season some flowers show only harmony in colors but the tulip cannot be classed among these SOME TIMELY TIPS do not be in too much of a hurry hurr to make a garden wait until the soil Is warm seeds simply will refuse ta germinate in cold damp weather keep the house plants indoors of 01 well sheltered until the weather is ia warm for keeps A single cool night may rum ruin all your treasures an uncovered rain barrel will breed millions of mosquitoes do not albov 11 any stagnant water to stand near the house drain off the little pools pool thai thal foam where the planta are watered |