GUARANTEED SATISFACTORY OR MONEY REFUNDED 
biku:- 
OVR PRIZE WINNING COMMERCIAL EXHIBIT OF ZINNIAS AT I.OS ANGELES DAHLIA SHOW, RILTMORE HOTEL, LOS ANGELES 
Planting seasons for Zinnias are March, April, May, June and July 
FACTS ABOUT ZINNIAS 
Zinnias are gross feeders and should 
not be planted year after year in the 
same plot without adding some good fer¬ 
tilizer such as well rotted manure. 
To produce maximum size blooms, 
zinnias must receive an abundance of 
water either in the form of rainfall or irri¬ 
gation. 
In dry climates, or if it fails to rain, 
they should be irrigated thoroughly once 
every week or two, depending on how fast 
the evaporation of the moisture from the 
soil has been. Don’t sprinkle—this pro¬ 
duces too many tiny surface feeding roots 
that have neither the feeding capacity nor 
depth to supply sufficient moisture to 
the growing plant when hot weather comes 
on. Cultivate around the plant while 
young and when you water, soak ground 
thoroughly. 
You can make successive plantings of 
zinnia seed in the open ground from May 
1st to at least July 15 and in California 
and mild climates you can extend the 
season well into August. During warm 
weather they will come into bloom easily 
in sixty days from seed. 
If you want to grow exhibition flow¬ 
ers, space your plants 2 to 3 ft. apart 
each way and if the soil is impoverished 
use well rotted manure and work into 
the ground around the plants, but keep 
it about six inches away from the main 
stocks so roots will not be burned. 
Wide spacing is also your best preven¬ 
tative for mildew because it allows a 
free circulation of air around the plant. 
If you wish to plant solid beds or 
borders in separate colors to carry out a 
color scheme in the garden you should 
set out or thin out your plants to about 
8 or 10 inches apart, then when they come 
into bloom you can take out any of the 
plants that happen to be off-color with¬ 
out leaving too much space between those 
remaining. After this rogueing process 
thin out all plants to stand 18 to 24 inches 
apart. In no other way can you have 
perfect beds of separate shades. The 
zinnia cannot be fixed to produce 100% 
true to color and we are sure that no 
grower has done more than we have to 
bring this popular flower to its present 
state of perfection. 
Don’t pick the flowers too soon for 
house decoration if you want size and 
gorgeous coloring. Let them develop, tc 
takes fully two weeks for opened buds to 
grow into full-sized double flowers. Many 
people think that the zinnia is a complete 
flower when the first circle of petals 
flattens out. Give it time, each day this 
flower grows increasingly larger and is 
still in the process of growing when it 
has reached huge proportions and the 
first set of petals are actually so old that 
they have started to turn brown. 
Like all hollow-stemmed flowers, the 
zinnia keeps better as a cut flower if 
the ends of the stems are submerged in 
boiling water for 15 seconds. 
Don’t rush the season. Don’t plant 
when the ground is wet and cold, the 
seed will only rot. The zinnia is a hot 
weather flower, coming into its full 
beauty in late summer and early fall. 
TO OUR SEED CUSTOMERS 
In our California trial grounds seed from all over the world is tested 
out. 
This seed in many cases comes from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, 
and the Hawaiian Islands. In the background lies the romantic story of the 
years of research and exploration on the part of Horticulturists and Plant 
Breeders the world over. Lives are dedicated to the creating and improv¬ 
ing of new types of plant life; knowledge is garnered from far corners of 
the globe, and the finished products are brought to you in the fascinating 
introductions which are found in the regular alphabetical arrangements of 
this catalog, which includes novelties of this year and last. 
We bring you the fruits of our efforts. It is our purpose at all times 
to serve you with the best that can be produced. We invite you to browse 
through our catalog, in which we offer you California Sun-Ripened seeds 
at fair prices. 
DOUGLAS G. FRASER, 
President and General Manager. 
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