ROOTS 
POT ROOTS 
PLANT 
ROOTED CUTTING 
FOUR WAYS TO BUY POTASH-FED DAHLIAS 
TO OUR FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS 
Once again we present our Annual Catalog. We 
hope it will be both instructive and interesting. Some 
of our customers have been kind enough to call it 
“The Dahlia Grower’s Bible.” We hope it is worthy 
of such a tribute. We know we have tried our best to 
make it more than a mere medium to sell our dahlias 
important as that is to us. 
While we have the largest dahlia farm in the world 
we still are in direct personal touch with our custom¬ 
ers. At shipping season every pot root, green plant 
and rooted cutting is selected by Mr. Maytrott. It’s 
a terrific task but we feel it is necessary. 
We shall continue our policy of producing and sell¬ 
ing only the highest grade stock. Cheapness does not 
always mean goodness. We wish you fullest pleasure 
from your dahlias and a successful 1940 season. 
ROOTS 
Dahlia roots are divisions of field-grown clumps of 
dahlias. Each root must contain at least one “eye” 
from which the plant grows. Sturdy plants and fine 
exhibition flowers grow from roots, and strong clumps 
harvested for the following season. As the planted 
root acts as a food storehouse for the growing plant, 
the growth of the plant is thus stabilized under ad¬ 
verse growing conditions. 
POT ROOTS 
Pot roots, as shown above in relative size to the 
average root, should not be judged adversely because 
of their size. Many experienced growers prefer pot 
i-oots. Pot roots are small clumps produced by plants 
grown mostly in 3" pots in the open during the late 
summer, and transferred in the fall to greenhouses 
where they are grown under controlled conditions, and 
allowed to ripen naturally by the end of December. 
We have for years used very many of them in our 
own plantings, and find them in every way satisfac¬ 
tory. We introduced them to our customers last year 
and many have written us as to their fine behavior. 
Pot roots will produce bushes and flowers equal to 
roots and in many varieties even better clumps on 
digging. 
We can afford to offer them at a lower price than 
roots because of their ecioiioiny of handling and distri¬ 
bution. 
In order that more of our customers may have the 
opportunity of testing them we are including them 
in our Free Root Offer on page 44. 
GREEN PLANTS 
Green plants are sprouts or cuttings taken from 
clumps grown in especially built greenhouses; rooted 
in sand benches in air-conditioned propagating houses; 
potted and grown under greenhouse conditions until 
well established and then moved outside to cold frames 
for proper hardening off. When they reach you they 
are ready for planting. 
We have established a reputation for quality of our 
green plants. Many hundreds of thousands have been 
grown and shipped by us, and our customers have 
found them highly satisfactory. They are, as you will 
notice in our lists, considerably cheaper than roots. 
Their care after you receive them is fully described 
on page 22. 
Green plants will produce flowers equal to roots or 
pot roots when well grown for exhibition, but will not 
produpe as large clumps for the following season. 
When jproperly grown from healthy stock, however, 
many varieties will produce nice clumps. 
Dahliadel green plants are always properly grown, 
and, in our specially designed shipping box have been 
successfully sent all over the United States. 
ROOTED CUTTINGS 
Rooted cuttings are sprouts or cuttings grown ex¬ 
actly as described under green plants (see above) up 
to the point where a good root system has developed. 
At this stage they are taken from the sand and care¬ 
fully packed in dampened sphagnum moss and wrapped 
in water proof material, and shipped to the customer. 
Full cultural instructions will be found on page 22 for 
their subsequent treatment. 
Rooted cuttings are the cheapest form in which 
dahlias can be purchased. They are 1/3 less in price 
than plants. For example, a variety that would sell at 
$3.00 a root, $1.00 a plant, would be .67 for a rooted 
cutting. By availing yourself of Quantity Discounts 
3 rooted cuttings would be $1.80, 6 for $3.20 or 12 for 
$6.00, or the price of 2 $3.00 roots. We do not have 
sufficient stock to supply rooted cuttings on all of the 
1940 Introductions. We will gladly advise on varieties 
in which you are interested. They appeal particularly 
to those who are equipped to properly take care of 
them on arrival, and they will then grow blooms and 
plants identical with those produced by green plants. 
There is no question but that they have their place 
for those who wish to get an early start in the more 
expensive varieties, or for those who like to do more 
of the early growing of the dahlia plants themselves. 
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