Before proceeding further I may as well dispose of all the duplicate plants, or those not required for planting out. As they root I repot them into two sizes larger, giving them good rich stuff; placing them in any spare bit of ground, or place •them in any airy corner out of the way, supplying them well with water, and allowing them to grow and bloom as they please till cut down by frost, when they are removed, in their pots, perfectly dried, and then stored away for the winter in the cellar, or any dry place, where neither frost nor heat can reach them. These "pot-roots? as they are called, are an excellent security against the loss of "ground-roots "which, with the best of care, will sometimes damp off, more especially those that have been highly fed. Now for the beds.

Let the Dahlias as they are planted out be well watered, and never throughout their entire growth be allowed to wilt or flag from want of it. To prevent accidents by wind, tie them rather loosely to the stakes with bast matting. Cultivate a deadly enmity to all weeds, never allowing them to progress farther than their seed-leaf. The Dutch hoe is the best tool for their destruction, merely skimming the surface of the ground without endangering the roots of the plants.

Air being equally necessary as water to the roots, never allow the ground to remain in a compact, baked state, which is certain to occur after waterings or heavy rains. As soon as it is sufficiently dry break or open the surface, without turning the soil, with a pronged tool. I use a three-pronged fork - the prongs about 4 inches long, with a handle 5 1/2 feet, somewhat like a small trident. It is exceedingly useful for all such purposes, and particularly for working among closely-planted flowers, where a larger tool could not be introduced with safety. It is my almost constant companion in the garden, using it always before watering, and when there is a prospect of rain. In the latter case I even open up the pathways in order to catch all I can: one good shower being worth a dozen waterings, and every stirring of the surface of the soil equal to a dose of manure.

Whenever it is necessary to water, do it effectually - beware of sprinklings; and as the plants increase in size, extend the circumference of the waterings. By the time they have reached maturity, the feeders are searching in all directions for their pabulum from one to three feet from their respective bulbs; so it is not immediately upon the bulb water must be expended, but, say 12 or 18 inches from it, over every other portion of the bed.

When the flower-buds, begin to appear, then is the time to commence feeding, for which purpose I procure a few barrow-loads of fresh cow-dung, of which I put two or three spadefuls into a large tub, filled with water, stirring it well, tilt it acquires the color of good "brown stout" Having allowed it to settle, I give each plant a couple of gallons twice a week to begin- with, increasing it to three times a week as they advance, and as the time for competition approaches I apply it daily; on the intervening days giving them pure water only. As this may be an unpleasant operation for some noses, I would recommend instead to those who dislike it, the application of guano water, very weak - better often and weak than too strong. Should the weather be wet, and no occasion to water, yet advantageous to feed, pass some dry guano through a fine sieve, and sprinkle it thinly on the beds to be washed in by the rain. Salt is also good for them at this stage, applied in the same manner as the dry guano, but be careful of the foliage that it does not touch it. This, I think, is all that need be said on watering and keeping the ground in open order.

Let us now turn our attention to other important branches of the subject, viz.: training, thinning, or pruning and disbudding.

If the Dahlia, generally speaking, were in no way restricted, but allowed the full bent of its inclination, it would, when at maturity, present a confused, intricate mass of main stems, laterals, and foliage; and, if it flowered at all, instead of giving blooms of four to six inches in diameter, they would be no larger than small pompon chrysanthemums. It is to avoid a result so undesirable and disappointing that pruning and training are begun at the earliest possible period.

When the laterals or side-shoots have grown a couple of inches, or even less, select four of the strongest nearest the ground, one on each side of the stem, which with the centre will give five main leaders, thus • • • enough for strong growing varieties; for weaker sorts three are sufficient; all the rest pinch off, carefully preserving the leaves, from whose axil the shoot starts. In cases where the laterals don't break, cut off the top of the plant, when they will soon appear, supplying the now vacant centre with a fifth shoot from the bottom. Were it not for the appearance of the thing, I would grow them all without centre leaders, for the free, airy opening it gives them, keeping them dwarf and short-jointed, tending much to improve the blooms; but being a stickler for form in plants as well as in flowers, they strike me, without the centre, as being like so many tubs; therefore I advocate centres, using the means within my power to give them the most perfect circulation of air, pruning and keeping the side stems well apart.

When the laterals have grown a few inches, place the side sticks in their positions, one opposite each shoot, and distant from the plant six or eight inches, driving them firmly into the ground, at least a foot and a half, giving them an outward inclination, thus \|/. As the shoots advance tie them out to their respective sticks, and as their laterals appear pinch them all off, reserving the axil leaves. We have now five main leaders without a single lateral, and all we have to do for some time is so to carry them forward, pinching out and tying up, as the plants progress, making a point, at every fresh tie, of looking back at the former ones, and slackening them, if need be, to prevent any check to the flow of sap. With favorable weather they ought now to be growing rapidly, and will require frequent looking over.