1788 
<Ihi RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 0, 1010 
’.DU PONT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 
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ns 
PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY 
THE HIGHWAYS 
Road building and road improvement are 
the order of the day. Millions have been 
appropriated by the National and State govern¬ 
ments to carry on the work on a large scale. 
The great, progressive State of New York proposes 
to have not only good road surfaces, but artistic environments. 
They are laying out a complete plan to protect trees along 
their highways. The idea probably originated with the 
soldiers who were impressed with the beautiful roads of 
France, arched over, as many of them are, with splendid 
trees. 
Experts realize that trees, shading the roadways in hot 
weather, prolong the life of the roads for many years. 
A roadside tree is at a disadvantage. The hard road 
prevents as much moisture from reaching its roots as other 
trees receive. Therefore, these trees should be planted in 
the way to give them the best possible chance. That way is 
THE RED CROSS WAY. 
We have demonstrators in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, 
North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Northern 
Minnesota, Northern Michigan, Delaware, Eastern Pennsyl¬ 
vania, New Jersey, Wisconsin, andNewYorkto show this 
superior scientific method. 
But citizens of other states can learn all about it 
from our free 
HANDBOOK OF EXPLOSIVES. 
The process is safe and it is simple. Anybody can 
understand it; anybody can do it. 
Not only roadside trees, but fruit, shade and orna¬ 
mental trees generally, should be planted the Red Cross Way 
if the soil is hard. 
WRITE FOR THE BOOKLET NOW BEFORE YOU 
FORGET IT. 
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO., Inc. 
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 
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Garden Notes From New England 
Timely Hints About Dahlias. —Gar¬ 
den makers in this section are busy taking 
np 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 in¬ 
terests of commercial Dahlia growers, for 
in most eases at least half the necks on 
each bulb are broken, with the result 
that the attached tubers are rendered 
worthless. The neck is that part of the 
tuber which joins the main stalk, and it 
A Group of Montbretias 
is very readily dislocated. When the 
professional growers dig their Dahlias 
they either go through the field with a 
deep set plow, loosening the clumps with¬ 
out 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 damage to the tubers. The 
same plan should be followed in the home 
garden. 
Drying Off. —Another mistake often 
made is to leave the dumps exposed to 
the sun for a day or two, or even longer. 
This seriously impairs the vitality of the 
Winter was an almost impossible task, 
unless one had unusually good facilities. 
Geisha is also a disappointment in this 
respect. This wonderfully brilliant, 
pjeony-flowered Dahlia lias come to he 
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 Dah¬ 
lias 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 va¬ 
rieties 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. Tt is different, 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 every¬ 
where now; in city hack lots as well as 
in farmhouse dooryards. and on the ap¬ 
proach 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 delivered the next 
Spring. Many growers are going in espe¬ 
cially for some of the newer kinds, includ¬ 
ing 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 
decorative Dahlias and the pompons are 
the best for cutting, and the kinds which 
should be grown most freely if one is sell¬ 
ing cut flowers at retail or to a flower 
dealer. This, by the way, is a line of 
work which can be developed 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 pom¬ 
pous are excellent for decorative work, 
and among the best of the decorative 
forms for this purpose are King of the 
Autumn, Maude Adams, Delice, Lyud- 
hurst, Madame van den Daele, and the 
new Gene Kerr. 
Montbretias for Farmyard Gardens. 
Digging Dahlia a in 
roots, because much of the moisture is 
dried out. After two hours in the open 
air the clumps should he removed to the 
cellar. Of course the stalks will he 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 he inverted when they are 
stored, the stumps of the stalks being 
placed downward. This practice alone 
will go far towards preventing decay dur¬ 
ing 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 J. B. Smith 
was put forth as a fine variety, but grow¬ 
ers found that keeping it through the 
Com m ere in l C it It tire 
• 
—It seems surprising that more common 
use is not made in gardens of Montbre- 
tias. Almost never are they seen in a 
farmyard garden, yet they are exceeding¬ 
ly easy to grow, and are a delight for 
many weeks in the Fall, when flowers are 
none too plentiful. These Montbretias 
resemble miniature Gladioli, hut throw 
up several flower spikes, which gives them 
an advantage over the Gladiolus, although 
more than one flower spike is often pro¬ 
duced by the new form of Gladioli known 
as Priinulinus hybrids. The Montbretias 
are grown from small bulbs which will 
go through the Winter in most gardens if 
a liberal mulch is applied. The flowers 
are all bright colored, largely yellow, 
orange and scarlet, and keep remarkably 
well when cut. Unfortunately there has 
been some question as to whether the Fed¬ 
eral Horticultural Board will admit their 
importation. It is to he hoped that they 
will not be cut off, for they are very use¬ 
ful. E. I. FARRINGTON. 
