CHAS, 
SONDEREGGER 
President 
I am not a long- range weather 
prophet and am not a believer 
in such prophecies. But, sup¬ 
ported by facts and common 
sense, I am safe in predicting 
a very, very long time before 
you see such signs again on 
your fruit store window as: 
“95c for a bushel of peaches, 
or 98c for a bushel of plums.” 
Drought reduced producing 
trees to a record minimum, 
good planting stock is scarce. 
Fruit will be scarce and high 
priced for years to come. And 
that is the time when far 
sighted people plant. Plums, 
cherries, peaches and apricots 
produce early, bring quick re¬ 
turns, also grapes, berries of 
all kinds. For home use or 
market, plant this spring. 
Grow all the fruit your own 
family needs, and sell the sur¬ 
plus at a good price. Even 
under the most favorable 
growing conditions there will 
be no overproduction in fruit 
for years to come. 
LEO 
SONDEREGGER 
Landscape Architect 
Not everybody can afford to 
landscape a place completely 
in one planting season. When¬ 
ever circumstances necessitate 
planting over a period of years 
a complete planting plan must 
be made and adopted at the 
very beginning. And all fu¬ 
ture plantings just as the bud¬ 
get of the owner permits must 
be according to the original 
plan. Consequently when the 
last shrub or tree is put in 
place, the entire planting is 
according to the original plan 
that was designed to produce 
beautiful scenery and har¬ 
mony. Working without a 
plan your planting would cost 
you a great deal more, and 
even then you would never 
obtain the perfect harmony 
which the artist would have 
woven into his plan. 
I also deem it a part of my 
duty to call your attention to 
the fact that it is not within 
reason to expect ready made 
or “tailor-made” plans to give 
satisfactory results. Such 
plans would not and could not 
take into consideration such 
highly important conditions as 
the style of your building, its 
color and its finish, contour 
of the soil, climatic conditions, 
not to mention the surround¬ 
ings and your own individual 
desires. A plan is the work 
of an expert, it saves you 
more than its cost. It does 
away_ with guess work, re- 
planting, changing and pos¬ 
sible losses, but above all it is 
the key to success. 
Beginning the second Half of a Cen- 
tury of Growing and Distributing 
TREES and SEEDS 
That Grow 
As nurserymen who have had the good fortune of being 
patronized by hundreds of thousands of customers—Home¬ 
makers and Farmers—over a span of more than a half cen¬ 
tury, we are writing this book, thoroughly realizing our re¬ 
sponsibility. In every description we give, and in every 
effort we make to advise you in your planning and planting, 
we are stating what is, to the best of our knowledge, the 
truth. And this, in the face of the fact that by refraining 
from exaggerations we may pass up many possibilities to 
sell. We may be criticised by our competitors for "laying 
down on the job'' in "putting over” this or that plant, which 
by virtue of extensive national advertising would bring us 
big profits, if we would join in "pushing” it. But the Sonde- 
regger Nurseries and Seedhouse and its reputation were not 
built up by "stretching things a little" wherever it would 
mean extra profit. 
And that is the reason why we continued in business 
since 1886, and accounts for the fact that more than one-half 
of our thousands of steady customers have bought from us 
for more than twenty consecutive years, whatever they need¬ 
ed for garden, orchard or field. It is also the reason why 
we do not spend more than D/ 2 % of our gross receipts for 
advertising, while 20% is commonly understood to be very 
little in general business ways. 
Those are records of which our customers are equally as 
proud as we are ourselves. Because there exists since a 
half century an unmistakable friendship between us. In per¬ 
sonal contact with our home customers, as well as in the 
dealings with our patrons whom we serve through the mail, 
we endeavor to convince you that we do not seek to make 
our profit in the sale of a particular plant or tree, but that 
we are most anxious to serve you right. It is your complete 
satisfaction that pays us dividends in years to come. 
In this book Charles describes and offers the fruit trees 
and plants. Being the oldest in the family, his work began 
when Father Sonderegger first grew trees for sale. Fred is 
writing the shade tree and flower section of this book. First 
he worked in Europe and the New England states. He 
started his work here 26 years ago. The section of vegeta¬ 
ble seeds is the work of Ernest Sonderegger. He received 
his education in Europe, and took over his job as our "Seed- 
man 24 years ago. Arthur Sonderegger's work is the grow¬ 
ing of choice flowers for our Perennial Department, as well 
as Flower Seeds. His work is practical botany and propa¬ 
gating. He has been with us since he returned from schools 
abroad, 24 years. Leo Sonderegger is a landscape architect. 
He spends half of his time making up his designs on paper, 
and the other half out on the planting job directing the work. 
The public parks, private estates and exhibition grounds Leo 
has designed and planted in the past bear true testimony 
of his understanding and knowledge acquired in 36 years 
of work and study here and abroad. 
We wish to thank you for the goodwill you have shown 
us in the past. Your future patronage will be highly appre¬ 
ciated. 
Yours for "Trees and Seeds That Grow,” 
SONDEREGGER NURSERIES & SEED HOUSE. 
FRED 
SONDEREGGER 
Secretary-Treasurer 
Whenever you wish to have 
some advice on planting and 
care of trees or plants in addi¬ 
tion to the instructions I am 
giving in this book, kindly 
write me. Any time during 
the summer, fall or winter I 
am always in my office or out 
in the growing field, and will 
be glad to advise you person¬ 
ally or through the mail. 
ERNEST 
SONDEREGGER 
Manager Seed Dept. 
As this book goes to the press 
(October, 1936) my seed store¬ 
rooms and warehouses are 
empty. Between now and De¬ 
cember the new crops of seeds 
of all varieties are coming in. 
I like to have it just that way; 
it gives me fresh seeds for 
spring delivery, and during the 
winter and early spring X am 
keeping special help at hand 
to test all these seeds. When 
you sow Sonderegger’s seeds 
sow it thin, because every 
seed grows. And that is why 
market growers buy from me. 
Good seed is the cheapest, the 
bargain must be in the seeds, 
not in the price. 
ARTHUR 
SONDEREGGER 
Propagator 
1936 has been a year of hard 
work, with the adverse 
weather conditions under 
which I had to make my prop¬ 
agations of plants it was in¬ 
deed a season I shall never 
forget. However, there is a 
good side to that too. The 
plants that survived are extra 
well rooted, strong and sturdy. 
Good plants and flower seeds 
are a little scarce for this 
year. I would advise you to 
place your order early if you 
can, to be sure you get every¬ 
thing you wish to have. 
