SEPTKMBEn 15, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



William F. Bassett. 



(President Hamiuonton Dahlia (irowerx' 

 Association.) 



HAMMOXTON DAHLIA GROWERS. 



A dahlia true to name. 



A dahlia of viKorous growth. 



.V dahlia with |)erftH.'t flowers. 



These are the watchwords of the 

 Dahlia Growers' Assoeiatioii of Ham- 

 monton, N. J. The association aims to 

 place the Hammonton dahlia in a class 

 by itself. The idea is that when dahlia 

 flowers or dahlia roots bear the Ham- 

 monton label the purchaser will know 

 that he is getting the finest in the 

 market. 



Saturday, September 10, was a gala 

 day among the Hammonton growers. 

 .Fust a fortnight after the organization 

 of their association the si.x firms and 

 individual growers met to compare 

 notes and visit each other's farms. 

 They were "William F. "Bassett, J. Mur- 

 ray Hassett, Hugo Kind. Watkis & 

 Xicholson, Kdward H. Wliite and Wood 

 & Healy. 



Hammonton is a progressive town, 

 with the dahlia farms chiefly on the 

 outskirts, so it was arranged that most 

 of the party meet at William F. Bas- 

 sett 's and drive to the farms. Those 

 not in the party were met at their own 

 places. The seat of honor in the car- 

 riage was given to the president, Wil- 

 liam F. Bassett, now in his eighty- 

 sixth year. With him were his sons, 

 George W. Bassett and J. Murray Bas- 

 sett; Hugo Kind, Arthur A. Niessen 

 and Edward H. White. 



William F. Bassett. who has just re- 

 tired from the management of his 

 Bellevue Nurseries in favor of his son, 

 George W. Bassett. has a splendid se- 

 lection of dahlias, including many hun- 

 dreds of varieties. Great confidence is 



felt in the beautiful, long-stemmed vari 

 ety known as Dreer's White, a splen- 

 didly built white flower, of great sub- 

 stance, pure white in color. The pink 

 variety, Dei ice, is highly prized as a cut 

 flower. Jeanne Charmet has* all the 

 requisites of a cut flower, save one; the 

 keeping qualities have not yet been 

 proven. It is a beautiful shade of lav- 

 ender pink, an exquisitely formed flow- 

 er, borne on long, stiff stems. G. W. 

 Bassett is hopeful that this variety will 

 jirove its keeping qualities. Susan is 

 the name given a lovely soft pink 

 (perhaps blush pink will describe it 

 better), said to improve under artificial 

 light. 



J. Murray Bassett has three dahlia 

 farms. The principal one is this sea- 

 son's purchase of ten acres, where most 

 of his dahlias now are grown. Mr. 

 Bassett 's specialty is single dahlias, of 

 whi(di he grows a larger number than 

 any other flammonton grower. Tie has 

 an acre in all of the single vjirieties. 

 among them standard sorts and some 

 attractive novelties. Mr. Bassett has 

 an immense peony-fl(>wered crimson 

 dahlia that is fragrant, which he in- 

 tends using for seed purposes. The 

 new lO-acre farm contains seven acres 

 of <lahliiis. The princijial cut flower 

 varieties include Jack Rose, Yellow 

 Duke and Sylvia. These three may be 

 seen in the accompanying illustration, 

 from a recent photograph. 



Hugo Kind has 50,000 dahlia plants. 

 His specialty is in disbudding for long- 

 stemmed cut flowers. He grows a 

 limited number of varieties in quantity 

 and grows them well. His flowers of 

 the old variety, A. D. Livoni, have at- 

 tracted favorable comment. 



Watkis & Nicholson grow about a 

 dozen of the standard varieties for cut 

 flowers and a large number of the best 

 sorts for roots in, of course, much 

 smaller quantities. Among their vari- 

 eties for cutting the old standby, Mrs. 

 C. W. Btuton, was the most conspicuous 

 yellow; when well done this variety is 

 hard to beat. Carnations are also 

 grown and, unlike most of the other 

 dahlia growers, this firm has green- 

 houses, presumably for the divine 

 flower. A beautiful lake, a mile and 

 a quarter in length, with handsome 



trees on the banks, gives a charming 

 touch to the place. There were boats 

 on the lake and at the moment the visit- 

 ors reached the l)ank a fisherman caj> 

 tured what Mr. Watkis asserted was a 

 3-pound bass. Happy growers, witli 

 business and recreation so delightful! 

 Edward H. White is the youngest of 

 the Hammonton sextette, in point of 

 time in business. Mr. White is a 

 peach grower who took up <lalilia8 a 

 couple of years ago. He has two and a 

 half acres planted in dahlias, including 

 eight of the best cut flower varieties. 



C A, Wood. 



(Vice-president Hammonton Dahlia (ii-owers" 

 Association.) 



When describing his varieties Mr. 

 White sj»oke of Lyndhnrst, the stand 

 ard red for color, as his flame, and 

 agreed with .1. M. Bassett that Kriem 

 liilde when well done is one of the 

 greatest cut flower dahlias of today. 



Woml & Healy have two s]iiendid 

 fields of dahlias and a peach orchard 

 of wonderful productiveness. Storm 



New Ten Acre Dahlia Farm of J. Murray Bassett, Hammonton, N. J. 



