The Rose -- Queen of All Flowers 
The Rose is our leading specialty because it is the most popular of 
flowers. This is as it should be, for it rightfully deserves the title of 
“Queen of Flowers”. The Rose has been constantly improved in color, 
form, and blooming qualities. We have tried earnestly to keep abreast 
of these new creations and have helped to introduce many of the new 
popular Roses. We have also experimented extensively with rootstocks 
for budding, and now can safely say we have the best root obtainable to 
produce the finest Roses over the longest period. The success of your 
Rose garden is assured in placing your order with us. We are the largest 
dealers of high-grade budded Roses in San Francisco. 
Remember that handling plants is our main business- not a sideline, 
as it is in department and hardware stores. Our Roses are handled as 
they should be with regard to the fact that they are alive and should be 
treated as living things. We do not dip them into boiling wax or expose 
them unnecessarily to heat and drought. Our Roses will grow. 
Plant Roses in November, December, January, February, 
March, and April. 
We carry a large stock of Roses in containers for planting through¬ 
out the year. 
The Grading of Roses 
The public is led to believe in many cases that all two-year-old Roses 
are one grade. That is not so, for Roses are graded according to stan¬ 
dards set by the American Nurserymen’s Association. The difference 
between No. 1, l 1 /?, 2, or 3 grades is such that unless one is familiar with 
comparative grades he is easily misled. Investigate where and what you 
are buying. Do not be misled by cheap prices for low grades. The best is 
never costly. We handle over 35,000 Rose bushes in our nursery. Come 
out and see this fine, healthy stock. 
Rose Culture 
In deep, rich, heavy soil, even inclined to adobe, Roses are strong and 
vigorous, with flowers of great substance. But even in a light, sandy 
soil, Roses can be made to grow well, and they flower, as a rule, earlier 
than in heavy soil. To improve light soils, add clay, peat or adobe, and 
use our Special Sunset Fertilizer. See page 47. Do not apply strong fer¬ 
tilizers directly to the roots, but dust it on the surface and rake in 
slightly after the bushes are planted. 
Should the roots appear to be dry on arrival, mix up some soil and 
water and “puddle” the roots in it for several hours before planting. In 
planting, thoroughly soak before adding the surface soil. This insures 
every portion of the root being thoroughly covered and prevents crack¬ 
ing of the surface. Frequent cultivating of the surface is absolutely 
necessary to keep this loose soil or “mulch”, especially after watering. 
Plant each bush so that the point where it is budded is 2 to 3 inches 
below the ground. Do not sprinkle the tops of Rose bushes in the late 
afternoon as it causes mildew and other fungus trouble. 
Pruning 
This should be done during December, January, and February. At that 
time the bushes are dormant. Cut just above a prominent but dormant 
bud that points outward. It is difficult to give full information about 
pruning, but it might be summed up as follows : 
Remove all small, twiggy growth, cutting back to strong, well-ripened 
canes which are well furnished with healthy, big, dormant eyes. As a 
general thing, the entire top of the plant should be removed. See illus¬ 
tration above. 
Note: Our Roses are used by the U. S. Government. We supplied 
hundreds of bushes to the Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio, 
Fort Mason. Navy Yard, Mare Island, and other posts. Our Roses have 
the quality required by rigid Government inspection. You will make no 
mistake in trusting us with your orders. Satisfaction guaranteed. 
Star (*) indicates Patented Roses recently introduced. 
All Prices in This Catalog are Subject to Change 
Without Notice 
A good Rose as received. The 
black lines show where to prune 
before planting. 
Our Slogan— 
"Always Reliable" 
is jealously safeguarded, and 
we will continue to distribute 
only the very best tested hor¬ 
ticultural products possible. 
The prices herein quoted are 
the fairest possible, consis¬ 
tent with high quality, honest 
dealing, and first class serv¬ 
ice. You can depend on Sun¬ 
set at all times. 
1720 OCEAN AVE., SAN FRANCISCO 
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