170 
improved kinds. American efforts to 
date have in the main, been confined 
to these three classes, though some 
attention has also been given to the 
tea, the polyantha, Pernetiana, hybrid 
perpetual and the older types of Roses. 
Much work has also been done along 
the line of producing new hybrids. 
To date the following have been sent 
out : Hybrid rugosas, by Van Fleet and 
others ; hybrid laevigatas and hybrid 
moschata-odorata giganteas by Fran- 
ceschi and others in California; hy- 
brid polyantha -ayrshires by R. & J. 
Farquhar & Co.; hybrid teapolyantha 
by Van Fleet ; Max Graf, a natural hy- 
brid of rugosa x setigera ; hybrid hu- 
milis-rugosa, originator not known ; 
and a hybrid spinosissima by Elliott 
Nursery of Pittsburgh. The dwarf 
polyanthas have received some atten- 
tion, a few very fine varieties being 
sent out since 1900. Some Roses of the 
pernetiana type have been sent out by 
growers in California and Oregon. 
John Cook, of Baltimore ; M. H. 
Walsh, of Woods Hole, Mass.; E. G. 
Hill, of Richmond, Ind.; Alex. Mont- 
gomery, Jr., of Hadley, Mass.; Howard 
and Smith, of California, and Clarke 
Bros., of Oregon, ably assisted by a 
host of others, among whom are a 
number of interested amateurs, are 
working towards the production of 
ideal Roses for American gardens. 
Among the amateurs there is Capt. 
George C. Thomas, Jr., whose ideal is 
the creation of Roses of semi-climbing 
and climbing habit and everblooming 
like the hybrid teas. Some of his pro- 
ductions which are quite near his goal 
are now being disseminated. We are 
also indebted to Capt. Thomas for the 
“ Practical Book of Outdoor Rose 
Growing,” in which the results of ex- 
haustive tests of many Roses are given, 
many of the Roses being illustrated in 
color. 
The time is not far distant when 
Roses, rugged of growth and foliage, 
and bearing flowers of great beauty, 
will be found adorning the grounds of 
the farmhouse, Roses which will stand 
up and do under most adverse condi- 
tions. For these we will owe thanks 
to the untiring efforts and hard work, 
but loving withal, of our beloved 
friend of the Roses— Dr. W. Van Fleet. 
On his place at Bell, Maryland, may be 
found many beautiful hybrids obtained 
by crossing numerous wild species, 
natives of America and foreign climes, 
and hybrids of these with many of the 
existing types of Roses. Some of the 
species used in these experiments are 
the hugonis, gentiliana, bella, Helenae, 
Moyesii, Engelmannii, Fendleri, rugosa, 
wichuraiana, spinosissima, sertata, 
Jackii, omeiensis, banksiopsis, saturata, 
Sweginzowii, multiflora cathayensis, 
filipes and multibracteata, and many 
others. He has hybrids which cling 
closely to the ground, thorny and 
rugged, bearing large to very large 
single to double blossoms and very 
fragrant. There is another which has 
foliage stems and blossoms of thesame 
fragrance, a fragrance likened to that 
of the azalea. One there is which 
grows into a tall symmetrical bush 
bearing continuously blooms, small 
Slower Grower 
and of the form of scotch pinks. Oth- 
ers suitable for trellises, fences, hedges, 
etc., ranging in color from white to 
red, and to yellow, and tinted ones, too. 
Some for solitary planting and some 
for the shrubbery. With all that he 
has accomplished, he is not yet entirely 
satisfied ; he is ever striving, ever get- 
ting nearer the ideal of the Roses for 
the farmyard and roadside. 
Just about the time that the three 
great classes of American Roses were 
first disseminated, a society whose aim 
has ever been “ to increase the general 
interest in the cultivation and improve 
the standard of excellence of the Rose 
for all people,” was organized by a 
small group of Rose lovers and grow- 
ers. Their trials and tribulations were 
many. They did not falter. Soon the 
society started to grow. Slowly at 
first, then with leaps and bounds, un- 
til at this day the American Rose So- 
ciety numbers nearly 3,000 members. 
They are still coming in. There are 
good reasons for this. It is through 
the good offices of the Society that 
test gardens have been fostered in 
various parts of the country. These 
gardens serve to educate the people to 
love the Rose, and to show them how 
they can have Roses of their own. 
They also show what varieties are best 
for the locality. Another fine reason 
is this. Every year the Society pub- 
lishes an Annual, cloth bound, printed 
on excellent paper, and containing 
many fine halftones and color plates. 
The articles are instructive and very 
interesting reading, each volume being 
a ready reference book. All real lovers 
of the Rose should be identified with 
this live and growing organization. 
A complete list of all the Roses 
known to have been originated in 
America, compiled by the author, is 
published annually in the American 
Rose Annual. In this list is given the 
name of each variety, the class, the 
originator and date of introduction, 
and the parentage of each Rose, if 
known. 
1 THE DAHLIA 
Timely Hints about Dahlias. 
Garden makers in this section are busy 
taking up their Dahlia and Gladiolus roots. 
It is interesting to watch the way in which 
they do it. The usual plan, apparently, is to 
loosen the ground slightly, then to grasp the 
stalk firmly and pull the root out of the 
ground with a sudden jerk. Now this is a 
fine way to serve the interests of commer- 
cial Dahlia growers, for in most cases at least 
half the necks on each bulb are broken, with 
the result that the attached tubers are ren- 
dered worthless. The neck is that part of 
the tuber which joins the main stalk, and it 
is very readily dislocated. When the pro- 
fessional growers dig their Dahlias they 
either go through the field with a deep set 
plow, loosening the clumps without throwing 
them out, or else they have their men work 
in pairs. In either case the ground is 
loosened around the roots so that they may 
be lifted out with a fork, and without dam- 
age to the tubers. The same plan should be 
followed in the home garden. 
Drying Off.— A nother mistake often made 
is to leave the clumps exposed to the sun for 
November, 1920 
a day or two, or even longer. This seriously 
impairs the vitality of the roots, because 
much of the moisture is dried out. After 
two hours in the open air the clumps should 
be removed to the cellar. Of course the 
stalks will be cut off before the roots are 
dug, and they should be cut a few inches 
above the clump. I have seen long-handled 
pruning shears used for the purpose. The 
stalks contain a peculiar acid, which has a 
bad effect on the hands of the men who 
spend a day or two digging Dahlias. It also 
has a bad effect on the clumps if not allowed 
to escape. It is important, therefore, that 
all clumps be inverted when they are stored, 
the stumps of the stalks being placed down- 
ward. This practice alone will go far to- 
wards preventing decay during the winter. 
Difficulties of Storage.— Now it is an 
unfortunate fact that some of the finest 
of the Dahlias are the most difficult to 
store. For some years /. B. Smith was put 
forth as a fine variety, but growers found 
that keeping it through the winter was an 
almost impossible task, unless one had un- 
usually good facilities. Geisha is also a dis- 
appointment in this respect. This wonder- 
fully brilliant, Peony-flowered Dahlia has 
come to be among the most popular of all 
varieties. Yet the stock never gets very 
large, and amateurs lost it year after year, 
for it is a difficult Dahlia to carry over. 
Garden-makers who have only a little money 
to invest in flowers should take pains to 
learn about the keeping qualities of the 
varieties they propose to buy. Red Dahlias 
are the most persistent of all. They will 
survive under conditions which cause the 
loss of most other kinds, which is the best 
explanation of the claim so often made by 
beginners that their choicest varieties revert 
in a short time to common red kinds. The 
truth is that a Dahlia grown from a tuber 
will invariably be like its parent. It is differ- 
ent, of course, with Dahlias grown from seed. 
They are likely to develop almost any form 
or color. 
Dahlia Types. — I have been amazed this 
season at the rapid spread of the Dahlia 
craze. You find Dahlias everywhere now; 
in city back lots as well as in farmhouse 
dooryards, and on the approach to almost 
every town you will come across some man 
or woman who has a field of Dahlias where 
orders are being taken for bulbs to be de- 
livered the next spring. Many growers are 
going in especially for some of the newer 
kinds, including the collarette, duplex and 
single types. The collarette Dahlias have the 
advantage of being remarkably good keepers 
when cut, which unfortunately is not true of 
the single Dahlias. On the whole, the decor- 
ative Dahlias and the pompons are the best 
for cutting, and the kinds which should be 
grown most freely if one is selling cut flow- 
ers at retail or to a flower dealer. This, by 
the way, is a line of work which can be de- 
veloped in many small towns. Florists are 
coming to use Dahlias in increasing numbers, 
and will often buy them from local growers 
if the right kinds are offered. Most of the 
pompons are excellent for decorative work, 
and among the best of the decorative forms 
for this purpose are King of the Autumn, 
Maude Adams, Delice, Lyndhurst, Madame 
van den Daele, and the new Gene Kerr.— E. I. 
Farrington in Rural New Yorker. 
Professor D. Lumsden, who for the 
past six years has been Assistant Pro- 
fessor of Floriculture at Cornell Uni- 
versity, has resigned to accept a posi- 
tion as Professor of Horticulture and 
Landscape Art, at the Walter Reed U. 
S. Army General Hospital, Washing- 
ton, D. C. 
Mr. Lumsden will also have charge 
of the agricultural reconstruction work 
at the hospital. 
