1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
303 
DAHLIAS FROM SEED. 
Until a few years ago it was not 
known except by a few flower growers 
outside of professional gardeners, that 
Dahlias can be grown from seed almost 
as easily as lettuce. In starting to grow 
them the beginner should get only seed 
of good sorts; a lot of the seed sold by 
seed stores is utterly worthless; the re¬ 
sulting plants are about as useless as so 
many weeds. Whether this poor seed is 
produced on this side of the Atlantic or 
not, I know not, but I am inclined to 
believe that it is imported, as I ob¬ 
tained some a few years ago from a 
firm that imports all its flower-seeds, 
and the lot of Dahlias I raised from it 
TUBEltH OF ONE SEASON’S GROWTH. 
Fig. 121 . 
were about the poorest I ever saw. On 
the other hand, seed obtained from a 
couple of reputable American houses 
that advertise in The R. N.-Y. produced 
a good percentage of plants that gave 
splendid flowers. 
The seed may be sown at any time 
in the Spring after danger of frost is 
over in the open ground, or earlier in¬ 
doors. or under glass. Last March I 
found quite a number of sturdy little 
Dahlia plants, in their sixth leaves, 
growing right outdoors among ray bee¬ 
hives. The place was sheltered, and the 
soil rich and warm—perhaps the heat 
generated by the bees had something to 
do with their free germination and 
growth. As some one may wonder 
how the seed came to be scattered in 
such a place as an apiary, I will state 
that I had been using the top of one of 
the hives as a stand to rest the vessel 
I had some seed in while I was cleaning 
it by means of a gentle breeze that was 
then stirring. It is best to transplant 
the seedlings when in the fourth leaf 
into small pots or flats, or any shallow 
box. In April, or about the time corn 
other Dahlia, in which case the grower 
is well repaid for his time and trouble. 
Even with the poor ones the gardener 
has an array of flowers that is grand— 
there will be all colors, except blue, and 
of all shapes, sizes and appearances. 
Out of a large lot of seedlings planted 
and cultivated in 1908 , I obtained three 
or four that I retained for future trial. 
Two of these I have since decided to 
propagate and test further—one being a 
lovely pink decorative. While I have 
hopes of its being something worth 
while, I would not be greatly disap¬ 
pointed at its failure to be a good com¬ 
mercial sort. 
In Fig. 121 is shown the tubers of one 
plant of a seedling at the end of its 
first season’s growth. In digging, a 
portion of the tuber became detached; 
the growth of the roots was so vigorous 
that they became cleft, hence the divi¬ 
sion on digging. In the illustration of 
cut flowers those bearing numbers are 
seedlings; they were fully as beautiful 
as any on the place, and I had over 65 
named sorts. The celebrated new Dahlia, 
Jack Rose, is shown in the lower left- 
hand corner. The seedlings pictured 
are of the loose art, or pieotiy-flowered 
class, which with the decorative section, 
is destined to be the popular form of 
this excellent flower. 
During the season of growth it is 
often desirable to prune or thin out a lot 
of the branches, that the blooms will be 
larger. At times I have cut the plants 
back severely, especially when I wanted 
the plants to form a new growth so 
that they would produce a second crop, 
as it were, of flowers before the end o\ 
the season. At such times there would 
be a lot of green, succulent leaves and 
stalks that would naturally go to the 
rubbish-pile. In 1908 I had some of this 
green stuff sent to the cows to see if 
they would eat it. They did with alac¬ 
rity; after that they received all the 
waste Dahlia clippings. Whether this 
Dahlia fodder forms a “balanced ration” 
for a milch cow I know not; this I 
know, it did not affect the quality of the 
milk as far as could be noticed. This 
Winter I have been wondering if there 
is not sufficient food value in Dahlia 
tubers to warrant the grower when he 
has a surplus in feeding them to stock 
and poultry. I know that chickens ac¬ 
quire a fondness for the raw tubers; 
A GROUP OF SELECT DAHLIAS. Fig. 122 . 
can be safely sown, the young plants 
may be set out in the open where they 
are to bloom. These seedlings will bloom 
nil} - as soon as will the best roots set out 
at the same time. For the most part 
these seedlings make a good root-sys¬ 
tem; if they should turn out to be of 
good variety, they will be a joy to the 
patient grower. The amateur should not 
count too much on getting many ex¬ 
cellent blooms, for growing fine sorts of 
these flowers from seed is a very un¬ 
certain quantity—a large percentage will 
be too poor to replant a second year. 
Put some of them may be beautiful, and 
possibly, entirely different from any 
they eat them as readily as they do beets. 
T think I shall send some of the tubers 
to our experiment station with a view 
of having them analyzed as to nutritive 
properties, etc. . w. a. pryal. 
California. 
As an express train was going through 
a station, one of the passengers leaned 
too far out of the window, overbalanced, 
and fell out. He, fortunately, landed on 
a sand heap so that he did himself no 
great injury, but, with torn clothes and 
not a few bruises, said to a porter who 
was standing by—“What shall I do?” 
“You’re all right, mister.” said the por¬ 
ter. “Your ticket allows you to break 
your journey.”—Melbourne Leader. 
Absolutely Reliable 
Not Like the Ordinary Kind. 
CATALOGUE MAILED FREE. 
Don’t place your order until you 
have secured a copy. Our catalogue 
differs from other catalogues just as 
Our Seeds differ from other seeds. 
Besides being an invaluable guide 
tc the planter, it is a work of art. 
Write for it. 
J. M. THORBURN & CO. 
DEPT. Y, 
33 Barclay St., NEW YORK. 
108 Years in Business in New York City 
Vick Quality Seeds, 
You may bo abto to save a few cents 
by buying ordinary seed instead 
Vick Quality Seed, but you will 
count your loss in dollars whon 
you come to gather in your 
crop. Wo have been 
proving this to thous¬ 
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during the past 
sixty years. Get 
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season from 
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by the 
Vick’s 
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and Floral 
Gnide, 1910, 
Is ready. We’ve 
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than any we have is¬ 
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Everybody interested in gar- 
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Wo send it free on request. 
Write for your copy to-day. 
James Vick’s Sous, 430 Maim St., Rochester, N. V. 
Grass 
Seeds. 
FOXt ALL KINDS OF 
Clover and Field Seeds, 
ALSO A FULL LINE OF 
Garden Seeds and 
Implements, 
Write this Old Reliable 
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Catalogue Free and Price List of Grass and Field 
.Seeds mailed you on application. 
THE HENRY PHILIPPS SEED AND IMPLEMENT CO.. 
Toledo, Ohio. 
N. WERTHEIMER & SONS 
offer tlieir choice selections of all kinds of seeds 
such as Clovers, Alfalfa, White Clover, Crimson 
Clover. Red Top. Blue Grass, Hairy Vetches, 
Orchard Grass and all kinds of grain and lield 
seeds, which we buy direct from the farming com¬ 
munity and sell direct to the farmer. Prices and 
samples on application. We deliver seeds, freight 
prepaid, to nearest railroad station. 
N. WERTHEIMER & BOMS, Ligonier, Ind. 
6 good things 
for your garden 
from Stokes’ 1910 Seed Catalogue 
Stokes’ Bonny Best Early Tomato 
Finest and most prolillc. Pkt. 10c: oz. 00c. 
Stokes’ Sugar Sweet Muskmclon 
Flavor that everyone wants. I’kt. 10c:oz. 20c. 
Stokes’ Hardshell Kleckley Sweels Watermelon 
Finest watermelon ever known, i let. lUc; 
oz. 20c. 
New Strawberry Lettuce 
Delicious. Interior, pink color. I’kt. li 
oz. 20c. 
Stokes’ Standard Sweet Peas 
New orchid-dowering type. I’kt. I0e ; oz. 20e. 
Stokes’ Standard Dwarf Nasturtiums 
Named varieties—prominent colors. Pkt. 10c 
oz. 10c. 
All for 25 rents — *1* lOe packets— if 
All tur 40 LCIlIS you write today, enclos¬ 
ing 20c either in silver or stamps and mention 
The Rural New Yorker. I will also send 
free mv new catalogue. 
I Walter P. Stokes, 
Stokes Standard SEEDS 
Gregorys 
Improved Yellow 
Globe Onion Seed 
Best rust-resisting onion seed ever 
put on the market. Thoroughly tes¬ 
ted by the largest onion growers. A 
tremendous cropper. No onion equals 
it for storage. Our customers in 1909 
harvested over 800 bushels per acre. 
41.75 per pound, prepaid. 
GREGORY’S NEW SEED CATALOGUE 
is the handsomest catalogue ever issued. 
Qfl£GOf?It contains choice collections of Mower and 
vegetable seeds and is full of practical 
nUrlLj information for farmer and gardener. 
Write for a copy—it’s free. 
J. J. H. Gregory S Son. Marblehead, Mass. 
Conti P.atalflOTIO —Send us your name and ad 
OGGU UulalUgUGi dress, and we will mail free 
our 1910 catalogue of seed potatoes, seed corn, 
seed outs, alfalfa seed, in fact, everything in seeds. 
MACE & MANSFIELD, Greenville. Ohio. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 
•Millions of them—A roina, Klondyke, Thompsons, 
Gandy, &c. Send $2.50 for 1,000 plants. 
JOHN LIGHTFOOT, Dept. 36, Chattanooga, Tenn. 
I Guarantee to Please You 
MILLIONS OF HIGH GRADE 
Strawberry Plants: 00 of the best new and stand¬ 
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stock and Eggs for sale. Send for large, free illus¬ 
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W. S. TODD. Greenwood, Del. 
Plants That Grow 
and just what you order at 
a very moderate price. 
BLACKBERRIES, BLACK and RED 
RASPBERRIES, $8 and $9 per 
1 ,000. Forty best varieties 
STRAWBERRIES (100 assorted 
for garden, post paid, 75c). 
Catalog Free. 
A. G. BLOUNT, Dept. C, 
_ HASTINGS, OSWEGO CO. N. Y. 
S TRAWBERRY PLANTS— Eight best varie¬ 
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Prices right. Send for our price list 
CALEB BOGGS & SON, Oheswold, Del. 
| 00K! LOOK! STRAWBERRY PLANTS-Chipman, Bu 
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li. B. Plants. My plants are fine. Before placing 
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it is iree. D. W. MOSLEY', Dover, Del. 
^TRAWRFRRY PLANTS—Send for our 28th 
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mail for $1.00, or $2.50 per 1,( 00 not prepaid. 
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“THE FAMOUS 
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And All the Leadino Varieties 
Send for catalogue. It’s free. 
CI1AS. K. FENDALL & SON. 
Originators of the Fendall and Grow era of Fine Plants, 
Towson, lid. 
WHOLESALE PRICES 
Strawberry, Raspberry, Hluakherry. Grape nui! Currant Plants 
Extra Heavy Rooted High tirade Stock. 
18th Annual Wholesale and Retail Catalogue Free. 
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k WN. SCARFF > 
/few farts!#: Ohio 
FREE—My Grand Combination Catalog On 
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It’s FREE—my new Complete Catalog and fair prices on the varieties 
of seed, fruit plants and orchard trees that pay best profit. $300 an acre from 
strawberries and other small fruit ! 40 blackberries to the full box ! Corn that 
goes 100 bushels to the acre. 62 lbs. of corn, 8 lbs. of cob to the bushel! 
Banana” Apples, $12 per bushel ! 
These are just a few of the results recorded in my 1910 catalog. SCARFF 
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This year I am giving away, free, 20,000 growing fruit plants. One to a 
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