Dahlias

Following the Civil War, Middleborough developed an active horticultural industry with C. D. Kingman, Levi P. Thatcher, Timothy Creedon, Keyes Brothers, and other florists and nurserymen establishing themselves to sell plants and flowers to local residents. Among the plants that these growers raised were dahlias, a flower for which Middleborough would become particularly known in the era between the 1920s and the 1950s.
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H. C. Monroe is noted in 1897 by the Middleboro Gazette as perhaps the first local dahlia grower of note. " H. C. Monroe is a successful grower of that superb autumn flower, the dahlia and at his garden on Main street he has over 200 plants in cultivation and 100 varieties, some of which are very rare, are embraced in the collection." [Middleboro Gazette, "What the Gazette Was Saying Twenty-Five Years Ago", September 22, 1922, page 7] Monroe's efforts as an amateur grower, however, were eclipsed by those of Francis R. Eaton of Rock Street.

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Eaton, a leather cutter working for the Alden, Walker & Wilde shoe manufactory, appears to have been the first Middleborough resident to grow dahlias on an extensive scale. By 1909 he was cultivating over 125 varieties, a number of which had been awarded prizes. Eaton propogated the plants on the small plot on which his house stood at 14 Rock Street (the land totaled three eighths of an acre). It became a local landmark, particularly in early autumn when the flowers came into bloom.

Francis R. Eaton's dahlias at his garden on Rock street have attracted the attention of many during the past month. He has 125 varieties, including many rare specimens of the cactus, and the flowers when in the height of bloom made a decidedly handsome appearance. Mr. Eaton has had numerous exhibits of the fall flowers in various stores about town and has been very generous in presenting boquets to friends. At the councillor convention, Tuesday, many of the Fall River delegates visited the garden and were given handsome flowers." [Middleboro Gazette, October 15, 1909, "Middleboro", p. 2]

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As late as 1922, Eaton's Rock Street gardens remained a showplace:

Lovers of the beautiful should take a stroll down Rock street before the frost ruins the magnificent display of dahlias in Francis R. Eaton's garden. The collection includes over 600 splendid plants, all in full bloom and so artistically placed as to bring out the richness and beauty of each flower and to make an harmonious whole of a varied mass of color. Most of the plants are of rare varieties, for as Mr. Eaton says, 'It takes no more ground or time to grow a fine flower than a poor one.'" [Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", October 20, 1922, p. 1]

Not to be outdone, however, was Elmer O. Drew whose Forest Street home featured "a beautiful display of dahlias... [which] is a source of much pleasure to all whose paths lie in that vicinity. Over 300 varieties are represented in the collection, many being seedlings raised by Mr. Drew." [Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", October 6, 1922, page 1]

While these gardeners were likely responsible for popularizing the flower locally, it was not until the 1920s that professional Middleborough horticulturalists took up dahlias on a commercial scale. In the 1920s, dahlias became a specialty in Middleborough with a number of growers concentrating on the flower including F. L. Millis & Co. at 96 East Main Street which was advertising cut flowers, dahlias, gladiolus and asters in July, 1922.
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J. Herbert Alexander was the first Middleborough grower of dahlias of note. Alexander was the son of J. K. Alexander of East Bridgewater who operated an extensive nursery business in that town and billed himself as "The Dahlia King." Alexander was a noted specialist in dahlia propagation, and he developed the first American collarette dahlia in 1912.

The younger Alexander began operations in 1924 on Summer Street (he was exhibiting at the annual dahlia show at the Horticultural Hall in Boston that fall). The farm later known as Dahliatown occupied nearly 25 and a half acres of land on either side of Summer Street just south of Murdock Street which was later owned by the Dutra family. "Those who visited 'Dahliatown' this summer will be interested to learn that the work of harvesting the six acres of gladioli bulbs is well under way and that in a short time the dahlia crop will be dug", noted the Gazette in October, 1927, hinting at the large scope of the Alexander enterprise. In addition to the namesake dahlias, Alexander specialized in other bulbs including tulips (offering 66 varieties in 1928), crocus (white, yellow, blue, purple and variegated), and hyacinth (pink, blue, white, yellow and red). Also sold were vegetable seeds including those advertised in early 1929: pepper, tomato and early cabbage. "A complete line of strictly fresh VEGETABLE SEEDS" touted the advertising. To help promote his business, Alexander exhibited at agricultural and horticultural fairs and shows throughout Massachusetts and in 1927 his flowers won prizes at the Topsfield, Hingham, Brockton, Barnstable, Springfield and Worcester fairs.
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Word of Alexander's prize-winning flowers spread rapidly, and in early January, 1930, he reported "an order for 250,00 gladiolus bulbs involving more than $2,000.... Mr. Alexander said the deal, which was made by a New Jersey wholesale seed house, was the largest of its kind on record. Last year, the farm sent 150,000 bulbs in a single order which eclipsed previous sales. The recent order which will eventually decorate gardens of 6,000 homes will not be delivered until March." [Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", January 10, 1930, p. 1] The following year, Alexander reported an even larger order - 300,000 gladioli bulbs - which were sold to a bulb retailer who sold throughout the United States and Canada. "Mr. Alexander figures that this order of bulbs will total from ten to fifteen tons in weight and will require three hundred packing cases for shipping." [Middleboro Gazette, "Record Sale of Gladioli Bulbs", January 23, 1931, p. 2]

Alexander's operation was so successful, that on August 25, 1930, he had leased a portion of the former Eliphalet W. Thomas Farm on Wareham Street near Tispaquin Pond from Thomas's daughter Lurana ("Lulu") Tinkham. "Mr. Alexander is establishing a new branch of his farm on the Cape road in South Middleboro near Carver's Grove," reported the Gazette at the time, slightly misnaming the location as South Middleborough. [Middleboro Gazette, "Record Sale of Gladioli Bulbs", January 23, 1931, p. 2]. In January, 1931, Alexander purchased a portion of the Thomas Farm and in time his entire nursery operation would be consolidated to the Wareham Street location which continued to do business under the Dahliatown name. The location presented a startling sight to those who drove past on their way to the Cape. "Motorists on route 28 are familiar with the great fields of dahlias and gladioli on both sides of the highway during the summer season and the jars of blossoms on sale on the porch" of the sales office building. Assisting Alexander in his work were several employees including Edwin F. Shaw of Plymouth Street who acted as a sales manager for the firm, as well as Mary Allison, stenographer.

Unfortunately for Alexander, Dahliatown was a business plagued by fire. On April 20, 1940, a fire destroyed the large farm barn on Wareham Street which Alexander used for the storage of "wooden bulb trays, cardboard shipping containers, bushel boxes and baskets and miscellaneous equipment." Though the fire took place "during the gale-driven rain storm", the winds spread the flames quickly through the wooden structure, and efforts were devoted to saving Alexander's nearby home, a smaller barn, the Dahliatown sales office and a 24-sheet billboard. "A considerable crowd rushed from town to the scene in spite of the cold, driving rain, and automobiles were parked along Wareham street, both sides of the fire."
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More serious was a fire on the night of February 22, 1943, which destroyed the sales office, stock rooms and work rooms of Dahliatown. The fire started from an overheated stove pipe, which due to the wartime shortage of oil, Alexander had been compelled to install just months prior to the fire. "'Our work of some 20 years of propagation and crossing was wiped out in 20 minutes, more or less,' said Mr. Alexander. 'Everything we had is gone. There was just one order packed and ready for shipment that was not in the burned building.'" The fire seems to have ended Alexander's association with dahlia-growing, and his interest turned to other areas of horticultural pursuit, particularly blueberry cultivation at which he became quite successful.

In addition to Alexander, Wilfred D. Deane cultivated dahlias at his farm, located on Plymouth Street at Warrentown. In February, 1928, Deane acquired the former William Quindley property on Plymouth Street near Nemasket Springs through the E. A. Strout Agency, and he immediately began the propogation of dahlias and other flowering bulbs, naming the business Eastvale Farms for its location along the east side of the Nemasket River just north of Muttock. Like Alexander, Deane participated in numerous shows throughout the region in an effort to draw attention to his products, and again like Alexander, Deane was generally successful in winning prizes for his specimens. In 1939, Deane won first place for the best commercial display at the prestigious Dahlia Society of New England exhibition. Two years later, in 1941, Deane won ten prizes at the society's show, including six first places.

In 1951, Deane sold the Plymouth Street farm to the Reynolds family and relocated to Wood Street where he continued to operate a dahlia farm under the Eastvale name. In the fall of 1950, Deane featured his first annual visitors' day, inviting residents to enjoy the displays and dahlias in bloom. Shortly afterwards, Deane's operation ended, probably partially due to a decline in the demand for dahlias which were increasingly seen as "old fashioned".
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Unlike some other flowers, the popularity of dahlias has fluctuated over the years, and they have come in and out of fashion among gardeners. Clint Clark, in his popular Gazette column "By the Way ...", in 1978, wrote a paean to the then long-forgotten dahlia.

My mother loved flowers. Her pride an joy was a backyard plot in which dahlias flourished in many forms and marvelous colors. All we can remember of their culture is that we dug holes and pit them in in the spring, dug them up and stored them in the cellar for the winter; and that, without education as to their special needs, they multiplied for us and made a glorious beauty spot.

Dahlias were in nearly every garden then, popular, we think, because their vareity of form ranged from compact globes to huge, exotic blossoms. They were perfect for cutting and arranging in boquets.

But their popularity, we've noticed, has faded in recent years. Someone said it is because their care is too much of a chore .... So we consulted a gardener who we know grows dahlias, and were told exactly what we hoped to hear - simply dig a hole and cover the bulbs with about 3-4 inches of soil, sprinkle a little fertilizer. We'll get acquainted with bugs and blights later.

Today, though no dahlia farms continue to operate in Middleborough, "The Dahlia Farm" name itself remains. Today it is run as a community supported agriculture venture by Jim Reynolds on the former dahlia farm purchased by his parents in 1951 from Wilfred Deane. Appropriately, cut flowers have continued to be grown on the property since that time. Visit The Dahlia Farm website and blog to learn more.
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Illustrations:
"Decorative Dahlia, Emily D. Renwick, Raised by Mrs. Stout", Mrs. Charles H. Stout, The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1922), plate 1.

Richard Dean, The Dahlia:Its History and Cultivation (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1903).

The book was an early standard reference on the dahlia, and was undoubtedly known to Middleborough's earliest growers.

"Dahlia close", Steve Plass, photographer, 2008. Republished under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

"World's Largest Dahlia Grower", advertisement.

Mrs. Charles H. Stout, The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1922), title page.Another book which was successful in popularizing dahlias was this volume, published at the start of the 1920s, a time when professional dahlia propagation in Middleborough was expanding rapidly through the efforts of J. H. Alexander and Wilfred D. Deane.

USGS map, "Bridgewater", 1940 ed., with the locations of Dahliatown and Eastvale Farms superimposed. Michael J. Maddigan, 2009.
Interestingly, Middleborough's two largest dahlia farms - J. Herbert Alexander's Dahliatown and Wilfred D. Deane's Eastvale Farms were located only a few miles appart on either side of Warrentown.

"Dahlia", audrey, photographer. Republished under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Eastvale Farms advertising card, c. 1940, paper.

"Two Dahlias", Steve Plass, photographer, 2007. Republished under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Sources:
Clark, Clint. Middleboro Gazette. "By the Way ..." "Dahlias - an oldtime delight", June 8, 1978, page 2.
Dean, Richard. The Dahlia: Its History and Cultivation. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1903.
Middleboro Gazette, Eastvale Dahlia farms advertisement, September 4, 1952, page 4.
Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", September 19, 1924, page 1;
Middleboro Gazette, "Record Sale of Gladioli Bulbs", January 23, 1931, page 2.
Peacock, Lawrence K. The Dahlia: A Practical Treatise on Its Habits, Characteristics, Cultivation and History. Atco, NJ: W. P. Peacock, 1896.
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds, (Alexander) 1463:364, 1604:442, 1610:575
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds, (Deane) 1549:242, 1549:243, 2143;43, 2583:383, and 3068:112.
Stout, Mrs. Charles H. The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1922.

Chinese Sugar Cane

Surely one of the more unusual crops ever cultivated in old Nemasket was the Chinese sugar cane raised in the mid-nineteenth century on the farm of John Warren at Warrentown in Middleborough.

Warren's eighty acre farm straddled both sides of Summer Street, and extended westward to the Nemasket River, just south of Murdock Street, and it was there that the cane, better known as sorghum or sweet sorghum, was grown for a period of about eight years from 1857 to 1865. (Other Middleborough and Lakeville farmers like John Montgomery and J. P. Nelson would also cultivate sweet sorghum).

It was shortly after the introduction of sorghum into New England in the mid-1850s that Middleborough farmers first were widely exposed to the plant. A book on the subject of the cultivation of sorghum published by John P. Jewett & Company and available to Middleborough farmers for "but 25 cents", was brought to the attention of the local community through the pages of the Namasket Gazette in January, 1857. Both book and newspaper extolled the plant's versatility. In addition to being a source of sugar, sorghum could be utilized as animal feed, paper pulp and broom straw, as well as yielding a color-fast red dye.

"It is a beautiful plant, growing to the height of ten feet, resembling broom corn, and is cultivated in the same manner. This article produces excellent syrup and sugar, alcohol and cider, the husk and stalks make good fodder for cattle, the seed is equal to oats for fattening swine and poultry, the trash after the stalk is pressed makes a good article for paper, - while the bush top is good for brooms. The juice of the husk when set with alum will dye a beautiful permanent red."

Incentive to produce home grown sugar cane was provided by the fact that Southern-produced sugar and its derivative molasses was raised by slaves and was therefore seen as morally objectionable by an increasingly large sector of the New England populace. Additionally, the advent of the Civil War in 1861 would bring with it a drastic reduction of cane sugar imports into New England, and increased demand (and prices) for such alternatives as maple sugar and New England-produced sorghum syrup.

It is not known when Warren first began cultivating sugar cane on his Summer Street farm, though 1857 seems likliest. By autumn of that year, Warren had harvested cane and erected a sugar mill which incorporated machinery to grind cane and extract its sugary juice. Of the mill the Gazette reported: "We understand it operates to a charm and that he has been doing a thriving business."

And, indeed, Warren's sugar business must have been thriving, for besides the cane mill there was a sugar house on the farm, as well. The sugar house was a necessary adjunct to the large-scale production of sugar and its existence on the farm attests to the likely presence of evaporators, great shallow tin pans in which cane juice would be reduced through boiling to syrup. Such evaporators were just coming into vogue among New England sugarmakers in the late 1850s and early 1860s, and Warren seems to have adopted them with enthusiasm. Previously, sugarmakers worked out of doors, boiling their sap in great iron vats, but the advent of evaporators not only expedited the sugar-making process, but allowed sugar makers to work under cover.

Warren's sugar business was remarkably well equipped. In contrast, Rochester cane growers Bradford and Dennis Sherman, who cultivated the crop on a smaller scale, employed bakers rollers "such as are used for kneading dough" for extracting their juice. The record of the Shermans' 1857 harvest, however, does indicate the work involved in cane growing. Their one square rod of land yielded some 250 pounds of cane which produced 13 gallons of sap which, "boiled down to the desired consistency ... yielded two gallons of good syrup or molasses."

In 1865, the year of his death,Warren had a full half acre (or eighty times that of the Shermans) devoted to the crop, and the cane field stood on the east side of Summer Street six rods (99 feet) east of the Warren house. In June of that year, Warren sold his farm to his son-in-law Francis A. Makepeace of Worcester, but specifically reserved to himself "the use of about one half of an acre of land now planted to sugar-cane ... for a garden during my life." [Plymouth County Deeds 329:189] The cultivation of cane at Warrentown, however, seems to have come to an end with Warren's death and the conclusion of the war. (Interestingly, in 1867 when Makepeace sold the Warren Far to Hepsie C. Alden, he specifically reserved to himself "a building called the Sugar House on the premises", although for what purpose is not known). [Plymouth County Deeds 343:181]

The history of Warren's sorghum cultivation is noteworthy as it reflects the sensitivity of nineteenth century Middleborough farmers to advances in agricultural technology and developments, and contrasts markedly with the unfortunate modern tendency to depict farmers of a century and a half ago as conservative and lacking innovation. Many farmers including those in Midddleborough and Lakeville were keenly aware of developments in the field of agriculture, including scientific advances, through agencies such as the Plymouth County Agricultural Society, as well as agricultural journals and periodicals such as the Massachusetts Ploughman and Boston Cultivator.

Among Middleborough farmers, Warren seems to have been remarkably attune to agricultural opportunities and his sorghum operation, though short-lived, was a well-advanced one which included both a cane mill and a sugar house incorporating the latest sugar-making technology.

Further information:

“Exepriments in the Cultivation of Sorghum”, Massachusetts Agricultural Report, 1857, part 1, pp. 117-145, 149-215; part 2, pp. 157-222, 170, 38, 225, 229, 234.

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Illustrations from top to bottom:

Chinese Sugar Cane (Sweet Sorghum) frontispiece from James F. C. Hyde, The Chinese Sugar-Cane (Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1857).

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Title page, James F. C. Hyde, The Chinese Sugar-Cane (Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1857).

Although Jewett's work was the one advertisied in the local Gazette, other texts on the new Chinese sugar cane were published in 1857 including Henry S. Olcott's, Sorgho and Imphee, The Chinese and African Sugar Canes (New York: A. O. Moore, 1857) and Charles F. Stansbury Chinese Sugar Cane and Sugar Making (New York:C. M. Saxton & Company, 1857). Works like these were responsible for popularizing, albeit for a brief time only, the cultivation of sorghum in Middleborough and Lakeville. (All three may be read in online versions by clicking on the titles).

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"A Sorghum Mill", Eric Sloane, Once Upon a Time: The Way America Was (Dover Publications, 2005).

Sloane's informative drawing depicts the method by which sorghum cane was processed into syrup.

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"Sorghum Mill", Herschel Logan, 1938, woodcut print.

This print by American artist Herschel C. Logan (1901-87) depicts the typical operation of a sorghum mill in which a horse walked in a continuous circle turning the corrugated rollers. Between these two rollers, stalks of sorghum would be fed, the extracted juice flowing through a spigot and collected in the barrel below.

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Updated June 25, 2009 9:02 AM