Big I'Dung 
PUBLISHED BY 
WAYLAND DAHLIA GARDENS 
E.R.Ryno. Prop. 
WAYLAND. Michigan 
SEASON OF 1939 
The skinny little girl next door 
tells us that her mama says she 
needs more “victims”. I wonder if 
that isn’t the trouble with business 
generally. 
Last spring Mr. J. D. Long ran 
shoit of Dee-lighted, and it was only 
by squeezing our crates and taking 
about everything, even the very 
smallest roots which we were saving 
for our own planting, that we were 
able to get enough of thisi variety 
to fill his order. Just as we are pre¬ 
paring copy for this issue of our 
bulletin, we received this card from 
Mr. Long:—“Received your advance 
reminder. Every year when the red 
spiders and other pests and diseases 
come I swear I am going to quit 
dahlias. But I suppose will weaken 
and have to buy a few new. Please 
send list of kinds you have to offer. 
Don’t sell all the Lord of Autumns 
again before I get there. Can tell 
better when dug, but looks so far as 
though your Tiny Tot Tubers are 
going to out run all the overstuffed 
big ones we planted. Best wishes. 
J. D.”. 
Note Mr. Long mentions red 
spiders. We have very little trouble 
with this pest because we are careful 
to bum all tops and litter each 
season. Some of our customers in 
other states report that they have 
little difficulty in controlling this 
pest in the field by using a spray of 
colloidal sulphur. 
We hear a lot of talk nowadays 
about dictators, which reminds us 
of the big iron and steel man (mama 
irons and papa steals!) who an¬ 
nounced to his office staff that 
“Hereafter Miss Smith is the only 
one of you who is to call me ‘Fuzzy- 
Wuzzy’ ”. Sometimes it is too easy 
to change favorites. 
For the purpose of helping mer¬ 
chants solve their problems. The 
National Cash Register Company of 
Dayton, Ohio, maintains a Merchant’s 
Service, through which any retail 
meichant may obtain without charge 
or obligation advice and suggestions 
based on the Company’s years of 
experience. Through the courtesy of 
this department we are in receipt of 
a 128 page handbook entitled “Better 
Retailing” which is one of the most 
interesting and valuable pieces of 
work that has come to our attention. 
Every retailer, whether he sells over 
the counter or through a catalog, 
can well afford to spend the half 
hour or more required to read 
through this book. We suggest that 
you send for a copy of it. 
Don’t be a piker. The story was 
told about a big eastern capitalist 
who was financing a movie produc¬ 
tion and upon visiting the studio 
saw twelve man in costume lined up 
for service. Asking what those guys 
were supposed to do he was told that 
they were intended to represent the 
twelve apostles. He immediately told 
the director th^t he didn’t want this 
to be a cheap production so he should 
put On twenty-four men for that 
part. In other words, if you don’t 
think twelve apostles are enough, 
double the dose. 
An abundant crop of any flower 
subject almost always results in an 
increased demand for that subject 
the following season. Dahlias have 
been very fine in all parts of the 
country this year, and we should 
look for a very large demand next 
spring. Just the season to make it 
to your interest and profit to give a 
little extra space to dahlias Jn your 
catalog. 
- 0 - 
We tell our customers frankly 
that our roots are not as large as 
those grown on heavier ground— 
and that the reason we continue to 
grow them on our fertile sand loam 
type of soil is because we really be¬ 
lieve the smaller roots will produce 
better plants and better flowers than 
the large, over-size roots grown on 
clay soil. This is not a new theory, 
but a fact that has been generally 
admitted by good growers for years. 
Mr. Darnell, in his 1926 catalog— 
thirteen years agr — said “Never 
plant a whole clump; the results 
will spell failure. Each tuber with 
its neck and piece of crown contain¬ 
ing at least one eye will give the 
best and strongest plant possible. The 
size of a tuber has very little to do 
with the results; small tubers are as 
good as large ones and better; some 
of the finest varieties have very 
small tubers.” 
A point about division of clumps. 
With new varieties where price is 
high and customers are usually buy¬ 
ing for propagating purposes the 
customer naturally likes to get a 
division showing two or more eyes; 
but every such buyer will tell you 
that he makes one eye divisions be¬ 
fore planting, because he knows that 
a single sprout will give better side 
branches and more blooms than 
where two or more sprouts are in 
the same hill. We cut our roots for 
the planter, not for the speculator or 
propagator and we see no reason 
why we should give two eye divisions 
when we know that the buyer will 
make one eye divisions for planting 
and thus get two plants for the price 
of one. When we buy dahlia roots we 
never ask for more than one eye to 
the root and always feel perfectly 
satisfied when we get such a division 
—and we always try to give our 
customers just the same kind of stock 
we like to get from other growers. 
Hill Dahlia Gardens, Battle Creek, 
Mich., write us, “We thank you very 
much for the fine quality of stock 
sent us. It is a pleasure to buy stock 
at the right price when you get worth 
while stock.” 
w 
means 
to you 
Iff 
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