Reliable Supplies. 
1 am now issuing two price lists. 1st. “A Price List of Standard 
Varieties of Which Supplies for 1904 are Certain.” 2nd. “A List of Novel¬ 
ties and of Varieties Not in Reliable Supply.” In the present list of stand¬ 
ard varieties none are included which there is any reasonable doubt of my 
ability to get. I filled about 96 per cent of all orders for these in 1903 
which was a very unfavorable year. 
Of course an exceptional demand might exhaust iny supply of some 
variety, but I make liberal allowances for that and it is not likely. 
QUALITY. In order that my customers may know what quality of 
bulbs of the several varieties I will probably supply in 1904, 1 am ver}" 
carefully noting after each variety what my supplies are and what quality 
is probable. 
This year all of Southern California is suffering from such a very severe 
drouth that in some localities there is scarcely any growth tit all. 
At this date it is probable that scarcely anything native to that region 
can be collected, with the exception of the lilies. 
This gives me no alternative but to omit them from my standard 
catalog unless I have garden supplies. Fortunately 1 made large codec, 
tions of some of them last summer and will most likely be able to fill my 
orders. 
The death of an old and trusted collector in the spring of 1903 cut off 
mv supplies of several of the bulbs of Northern Oregon. Among others ot 
Erythronium Johnsonii and Lilium Columbianum. I am planning to send 
an experienced collector to Oregon this spring and summer, and hope to 
secure all of the bulbs heretofore collected, but at this date cannot assure 
my customers of them. I have for this reason omitted several species from 
the standard list which I will probably have. 
Of some varieties I am growing stocks in excess of my annual require¬ 
ments, and each vear give my customers the best that I have. 01 others I 
have sufficient growing stocks to assure a good quality. 
Of still others I have only small stocks and am omitting them from the 
standard list altogether. 
There are other species which grow to such perfection in the wild 
state, and are so certain to be collected that I always collect. In years 
when thev are unusually good and plentiful, I collect far more than I need, 
and plant the surplus, and give my customers the very best. It is the 
general belief that collected bulbs are dug before they are matured and 
are inferior. This is by no means true. Few are dug before they are 
well ripened, and probably the very finest bulbs that I have ever sent out 
