GUIDEBOOK FOR 1941 
Page 11 


SIZE OF BULB TO BUY 
If economy be the aim, do not rely on small 
bulbs to give wholly satisfactory blooms. 
The small bulbs will all bloom but medium 
bulbs almost always give far better than 
“‘medium’”’ sized spikes of the given variety. 
Our descriptions usually indicate whether or 
not the variety is an exceptionally fine pro 
ducer of blooms from the smaller sizes. 
A number of varieties either have come 
into sufficient world production to warrant 
low price for large bulbs or bloom so un- 
satisfactorily from medium size bulbs that, 
for the protection of our customer, we omit 
the smailer sizes from our pricing. Likely, 
we have them if you insist but we recommend 
only the sizes offered. 
Commercially, bulbs are graded into 6 
sizes. Size 6 is under 4% inch diameter and 
other sizes range up every 14 inch, the Num- 
ber 1 bulb being 11% inch up. Catalogs 
commonly offer bulbs as L (large) sizes 1 and 
2) (1144 inch up); M (medium) (sizes 3 and 4) 
(34 to 1144 inch); S (small) (sizes 5 and 6) 
(144 to 3 inch) and Bits (bulblets, the little 
hard shelled cormels which cling at the roots 
of the bulb). 
For the most part we deliver number 1 for 
Leman bereo et Ore Vieand: Numbere.. lon.: 
Tiny bulblets are screened out and where 
they are priced per each they are selected 
as large as they run. Morever, except on 
large quantity orders, we prefer to supply 
No. 2L for M rather than No. 4 and to supply 
No. 4M for S rather than No. 6. This applies 
particularly to early orders and to expensive 
item orders. 
The size (bulk) of bulb you purchase 
determines the amount of food with which 
you are starting to produce a given spike. 
Below is a table giving the cubic inch of food 
content of the various sizes, figured at a dia- 
meter average for the given size, i.e., half 
way between its maximum and minimum 
size: 
No. 6, upto 4in., aver. 3%, .027 cu. in. 
No.5, %to 3in., aver. 54, .127 cu. in. 
NOm4A ho .to Lenin) savers 6 2000 CURID: 
Nossiil) oto. 124.1ns, averel ye... /45.cunin. 
No. 2,144 to 11% in., aver. 13%, 1.361 cu. in. 
No. 1, 1% up, aver. 15%, 2.247 cu. in. 
2 in. up Jumbo, aver. 24%, 5.021 cu. in. 
Note, curiously enough, that the _ big 
differences are between sizes No. 5 and No. 6 
and between Number 1 and Jumbos which 
really average more than 2)% inches. Norm- 
ally, it is not until a bulb reaches large size 
that it loses its spherical form. A 3 in. 
Jumbo bulb may approximate a half sphere 
but such a bulb would contain 7.07 cu. in., 
about 5 times the food bulb of a No. 2 large 
bulb. 
“Boy, do I thank you for the extras you sent. They were 
just what I wanted. Well, I ordered M bulbs but they look 
like L to me. I compared them to other growers’ bulbs and 
they made them look sick (the other growers’ bulbs).”” 5-4-40. 
W.V.S., New Hope, Va. 
YOUNG JUMBO BULBS 
Yes, we have some but the proportion of 
young bulbs arriving to jumbo size was much 
reduced, in spite of very late digging. Pretty 
much throughout the country the 1940 grow- 
ing season was uncommonly wet and short. 
On the whole, if you get young bulbs, top 
size No. 1, for ‘‘L”’ or ‘‘jumbo’’, whether from 
us or anyone else this year, you should be well 
satisfied. However, we do have considerable 
quantities of top size young No. 1 in quite a 
few stout growing varietiesand these and 
what jumbos we have will go quite a long way 
to satisfy those who want the “heavies.”’ 
“While al the Customs last spring, one of the Customs 
men showed me some of your heavy, young jumbo bulbs. 
They were extra good bulbs and if vour stock is all like 
those I want 50 each of the following 14 sorts’ etc. 11-22- 
37. T.F., Winnipeg, Manitoba. 
Sequel. ‘‘Viade 7 entries ut Minn. show, got 6 firsts, 
(3 were in ‘Court of Honor’) and I second. Also collected 
9 firsts, 6 seconds and 2 thirds here at Winnipeg, largely 
with your fine, heavy bulbs.’ 10-1-'38. T.F., Winnipeg, 
Manitoba. 
F. O. B. PURCHASES 
In fact, whatever size bulbs you purchase, 
if you wish to have them sent transportation 
collect, we will be glad to add to the count 
on the varieties ordered to such an extent 
that the value of such extra count will safely 
exceed the transportation cost. We will not 
guarantee to match the count equivalent 
specifically offered in some F.O.B. catalog 
lists partly because we understand the quality 
of our own bulbs and partly because we are 
firmly intrenched with our idea that sample 
lots of varieties newer and/or better than 
those ordered are more beneficial to the 
buyer and we know the bulk of our customers 
like it. So, after the extra count mentioned 
is made, our generosity with extras will 
follow. 
BARGAIN BULBS 
A grower-cataloger of bulbs has certain in- 
escapable costs: planting stock, use of land, 
its preparation, planting, cultivating, digging, 
hauling, curing, cleaning, grading, storage 
quarters, fumigating or other processes to 
combat insects and bulb diseases, advertising 
of one form or another, catalogs. postage, 
packing and shipping . There may be addi- 
tional items of overhead such as clerical, irri- 
gation, spraying, etc. 
Bargain bulbs are made possible by skimp- 
ing somewhere along the line, almost inevit- 
ably reflected in the quality of the flowers 
they produce. 
“T really thought I had seen some fine looking bulbs 
before, but for weight, youth and cleanliness yours sur- 
passed anything I ever hoped to see—without exaggera- 
ton.’ 4-21-'38. R.E.C,. Mt. Royal, Que. 
