FIELD NOTES 
(Continued from Page 1) 
quality should be exceedingly fine. 
I think the demand for dahlias next 
spring will ibe very large and our 
customers should profit by this 
demand. 
Early in September we go through 
our fields row by row and rogue out 
all stock not true to name, as well 
as all plants not strong and healthy 
in their growth. Stock is again sorted 
carefully before it goes out, and 
you may be sure that every root is 
sure to grow, free from disease and 
absolutely true to name. Such stock 
will produce strong husky plants 
and lots of flowers that will please 
your customers. 
We always like to have our custo¬ 
mers visit us during blooming season, 
because we believe they can get a 
better idea of the different varieties 
from a field inspection than from 
any description we can possibly give 
them. This also enables them to 
arrange different assortments accord¬ 
ing to type and color so their collec¬ 
tions will be perfectly blended and 
within any desired cost price range. 
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We have been growing dahlias for 
a great many years and we admit 
that in many points we have strayed 
from the beaten path as regards our 
method of handling our stock. Most 
growers wait until spring before di¬ 
viding their clumps but this would 
be impossible with us both because 
of the very larg'e number of clumps 
we have to divide and because of the 
fact that we usually start shipping 
in December. It is, therefore, neces¬ 
sary that we start dividing our 
clumps just as soon as we are done 
digging. When the divisions are 
made each root is carefully trimmed, 
all fresh cuts are treated with 
hydrated lime to prevent mold and 
rot and all roots are stamped with 
varietal number before being placed 
in our stock room where they remain 
until time for shipment. As we keep 
this room dark, cool and at a very 
high humidity point—just below the 
point of drip—we are thus able to 
carry our stock through in perfect 
condition without having roots rot 
or shrivel before spring. 
Once in a while a customer will 
ask us to send him roots which have 
not been trimmed, treated or stamp¬ 
ed. When order is given early we 
can prepare roots in this manner 
but we really believe it is to the in¬ 
terest of our customers that we pro¬ 
cess roots in our regular manner 
because by trimming off unnecessary 
parts of the root we save on storage 
space, by treating each root we in¬ 
sure against all danger from decay 
and by stamping varietal number on 
all roots we avoid all possibility of 
varieties becoming mixed in handl¬ 
ing. 
With so many years of experience 
and with such extensive plantings to 
back up our methods we believe all 
our customers can feel assured that 
stock is handled absolutely right at 
our point, especially when it is con¬ 
sidered that all this extra work on 
our part costs money which we cer¬ 
tainly would not spend if we did not 
think it necessary. 
Another point regarding the divid¬ 
ing of clumps. Many growers use 
clippers in this work because with¬ 
out question clumps can be divided 
much faster with clippers than by 
any other method; but we prefer the 
use of sharp knives in this work be¬ 
cause a knife makes a clean cut 
without haggling and without danger 
of bruising the eye which cannot be 
avoided when clippers are used. 
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Most of our seed house customers 
depend largely upon us to suggest 
varieties suitable for their list. In 
making such suggestions we consider 
not only the quantity of stock avail¬ 
able but also the lists of varieties 
which are being used by other cus¬ 
tomers, thereby avoiding duplica¬ 
tions so far as possible. We regard 
your interests as of vital concern to 
ourselves because our business de¬ 
pends entirely upon yours. If you 
don’t sell dahlias to your customers, 
you certainly won’t buy them from 
us. 
Each year when our clumps are 
divided all roots which are less than 
3 inches in length are sorted out for 
use in our “Special Sets of Four” 
dahlias, which are offered to our 
customers at a very special price. 
Each of these sets comprises one 
root of each Art, Ball, Cactus and 
Decorative type, stamped A. B, C, 
and D, to indicate type of bloom. 
and in four different colors. While 
the roots are smaller than our regu¬ 
lar stock, every one of them will be 
plump, fully matured and with a 
good eye so it will be sure to make 
a strong husky plant. These are 
packed in one wrapper with label 
indicating contents and enclosed in 
a strong set-up box, size 2%x2i/^x 
5 V 2 inches, with cultural directions 
included, the complete package 
weighing less than 8 ounces so it 
will go as third class mail for 4c to 
any part of the United States. We 
supply these sets in units of 25, 50 
or 100 at a special price of 11c each, 
or will, mail them direct to your 
customers at 15c per set. 
This is a very rapid seller at 49c, 
and makes one of the best special 
offers you ever made, either in your 
regular catalog or in a mid-season 
follow-up or in radio advertising, 
because it is really a bigger value 
than you could possibly offer in the 
regular way for much less than 
double the price. Remember the 
stock is first grade in every way 
except that it is a little smaller than 
regular stock, which is necessary to 
get in at the lower postage rate. 
