FROM THE HEART 
Last year we were sold out early of so many varieties that we feel we should explain: 
September, 1942, found our little nursery in full swing. Lots of work, lots of stock, lots of 
plans for the future. Then one day toward the end of September a visitor dropped in and said 
he wanted to see me personally—said his name is Mars. 
So by the end of October we were cleared out of everything but my most valuable stock 
plants and seedlings. In the first week of November, 1942, I reported for work at a war plant. 
Let's forget the long years that followed, and find me back at the nursery a short time 
after the last shot was fired on Japan. I'll not bore you with the details of cleaning up the 
nursery, repairing damaged lath and glasshouses, growing on new stock and getting up 
nerve enough to bring out the catalogue. 
When we reopened on March Ist, 1946, things looked pretty dark. Essential materials 
(pots, flats, peat, etc.) were practically unobtainable, our salable stock was small and-we 
had lost contact with our old customers. But the old customers came, they told others, and so 
new customers came. Soon stock was running low, and we were practically sold bare of our 
specialties before the end of the season. 
The success of the ten months after our reopening in March was due in great measure to 
the free publicity given us voluntarily by Rolly Langley in his daily column, ‘‘Let's Grow It,” 
published by many newspapers throughout central California; by Norvell Gillespie, Garden 
Editor, in the San Francisco Chronicle; by Miss Louise Weick, Garden Editor, in the San Fran- 
cisco News; by Iva Newman in the magazine ‘Peninsula Life’; Albert Wilson over KPO on 
his Sunday morning NBC radio program, ''How Does Your Garden Grow?”’; Sunset magazine 
articles through its Garden Editor, Elsa Uppman, and Miss Helen Van Pelt Wilson in her new 
book, “Geraniums, Pelargoniums.” 
We are grateful to the many nurserymen of the peninsula and the Bay region who referred 
customers to us for Pelargoniums, Geraniums and Fuchsias. Not to forget Miss Dorcas Brigham, 
Village Hill Nursery, Williamsburg, Mass., who kindly shared plants of her rarest Pelargo- 
niums with us and, of course, my friend Victor Reiter, who generously started us up again, 
from scratch, on Fuchsias. 
To others who have helped—to every one of you—my sincerest “Thank You”! 
WM. E. SCHMIDT. 
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE ORDERING 
All shipping orders are cash. No C.O.D. orders. For your own protection, please remit by check 
or money order. Do not send currency or coins unless you register the letter. 
We do NOT prepay shipping charges. Postage or Railway Express charges to be paid by the 
customer. We recommend forwarding orders by Parcel Post and advise Special Delivery if you live 
more than 500 miles from Palo Alto. If you want to have your order shipped by parcel post, please 
be sure to so indicate and include an amount to cover mailing charges. We will refund surplus at once. 
We are not responsible for the safe arrival of plants after they have been accepted in good order 
by the carrier. CLAIMS FOR DAMAGE IN TRANSIT (frozen plants, etc.) SHOULD BE FILED WITH 
THE -GCARRIERVON  DEMYV ERY, 
There is no charge for packing material and no handling charge. However, because of high 
labor costs, we do not accept shipping orders for less than $2.50. If you want only a plant or two 
perhaps your friend would like to order, too, and together you could easily get a minimum $2.50 
order to us. 
On all orders for delivery within California please add the 24%2% California sales tax. 
We NEVER SUBSTITUTE if out of a variety. Because specialty stock is still scarce, we urge you 
to PLEASE GIVE A SECOND CHOICE WHENEVER POSSIBLE. It will save you—and us—a lot of 
correspondence. 
We do not sell rooted or unrooted cuttings, but only well-grown and established plants in pots. 
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