by the war and must depend on their American farms and American growers. 
They need bulbs, large and small. 
Those who love flowers owe a debt of eternal gratitude to Dutch growers 
and breeders. To the Dutch and English we are almost wholly indebted for 
modern Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Amaryllis and other improved types. Let 
us help them. They will pay a fair jobbers price. Write and tell me what 
you have. 
We want especially, Dutch and Roman Hyacinths, all colors. Named vari- 
eties preferred. King Alfred Daffodils. Many others. What have you? 
General Culture Directions 
The best all around soil for bulbs is a rich sandy loam. Only a few, in- 
cluding Bearded Iris, prefer heavier soil. But all will do well in heavy soil that 
has been made friable by the addition of much humus. Iris do well in sandy 
soils that have been improved by accumulations of humus. 
Thus the most important factor of soils is the humus content. On our 
“Rancho De Las Flores’’ we compost all weeds, leaves and small branches. We 
include the garbage but omit potato and root vegetable peelings that might be 
nematode infected. Also omit Devil Grass and perennial roots of noxious weeds. 
The La Verne Street Dept. brings us the leafy street sweepings. 
Mix this with manure, at least a little, to enrich it and to hasten the 
bacterial action of decay. 
Spade in deeply much compost and include if convenient, well-rotted 
manure. .Do not use fresh manure except six months before planting bulbs. Soil 
and humus should be well-mixed and preparation of beds well in advance of 
planting is an advantage. This very thorough preparation of soil is advisable for 
garden soils of poor quality and an advantage on the best soils but even without 
the additions suggested bulbs do well in most soils. 
Fertilizers. Adding strong fertilizers just before planting bulbs or seeds is 
popular but dangerous. In the average case more harm than good results. One 
would not give a day-old infant a working man’s meal of ham and eggs or a 
boiled dinner, a slice of pie and two cups of strong coffee. The strong fertilizer, 
either manure or chemical, burns off the new roots of sprouting seeds and bulbs 
and they die. Again I say use only a proper amount of very old manure in prep- 
aration of beds and additional amounts in small quantity can be applied as a 
mulch to growing plants. 
Commercial Fertilizers must be used with care and only in the proper man- 
ner. Risk attends their use by the inexperienced. We do not attempt to tell you 
how except that we use a small handful of Superphosphate to about 10 ft. of 
row of Gladiolus. It is the proper fertilizer to use for acid loving plants. We 
have found Vigoro, correctly used, very useful for Amaryllis and other heavy 
feeders. It is better to try out fertilizers on one or a few plants before ap- 
plying them to all. 
Consult all References available. We use Bailey’s Cyclopedia of Horti- 
culture. 3 Vol., over 3600 pages. It is in most city libraries. Send us your order. 
Price $15.00, postpaid. 
We commend the following garden magazines. Sunset Magazine, San Fran- 
cisco. The Flower Grower, Albany, N. Y. Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine 
section, ‘‘“Home.’’ For sale by news stands and publishers. We are not agents. 
There are many more valuable garden magazines. Those interested in Amaryllis 
should read Herbertia, mentioned under American Amaryllis Society in 
this catalog. 
Acid and Alkaline Soils 
Most plants thrive in a wide variety of soils and are not too particular 
about the soil pH. Such plants are widely distributed and include our most 
common ornamental and economic plants and especially weeds. But some of 
our most important plants are very exacting in their requirements. 
The pH of the soil (or any substance) is measured in units thus, pH 5.5. It 
refers to the relative acidity or alkalinity and this depends on the concentration 
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