our mailing list if you do not buy for two years. If not interested, please ask P.M. to 
return this at our expense, thus saving paper and labor. 
Correspondence. We enjoy your friendly letters. I answer them twice a year in our 
Introductory Letter. It is a fact that I work longer hours and for less pay than the coal 
miners and am still unable to answer all letters requiring it. Two assistants help but we 
never catch up. Some letters accuse me of not liking to write. I do, but I have over 
35,000 pen pals. Read entire catalog before asking questions. 
Identifying Bulbs. We usually can. Send flower, foliage and if possible, a Bulb. 
Give all facts known. Enclose self-addressed postcard and attach your letter to outside 
of package. We do not attempt to identify horticultural varieties of Gladiolus, Iris, etc. 
Time of Delivery. All bulbs are delivered within range of correct planting dates. 
GENERAL CULTURE DIRECTIONS 
Rich sandy loam is the best soil. Only a few, like Bearded Iris, prefer heavy soil. 
A very few, like Gloriosas, must have sandy soil. 
All soils require the addition of much humus. Compost all garbage, weeds, leaves, 
cut branches and manures. When rotted, add to soil and thoroly mix. 
Fertilizers. We recommend only animal manures and compost. Fresh manure can 
be used on a few plants, that are growing vigorously, as a very light mulch, but after 
flowering. Do not fertilize a plant in dry soil, or use any fertilizer, unless thoroly rotted 
in a compost heap, in the soil before planting bulbs, seeds, or plants. ; 
After blooming, many neglect their bulbs. As a result the bulbs do not flower the 
following year. For success one must continue to give. good culture and encourage 
luxuriant growth until yellowing foliage indicates the bulb has completed its annual 
growth and is becoming dormant. 
Depth of planting and distance apart often cause too much concern. Bulbs usually 
have sufficient adaptability to do well under widely varying conditions. If left in one 
place a few years, most bulbs adjust themselves to their preferred depth. Approximately, 
bulbs should be about 2 or 3 times their diameter apart unless their habit of growth is 
spreading—like Ranunculus. In such cases plant farther apart. Small bulbs, like 
Ranunculus, should be about 2” or 3” deep, depending on size. Bulbs as large as Daffodils 
may be 4” to 6” deep. Bulbs with a heavy erect stem need deep planting in order to 
remain erect. Plant deeper in light sandy soils than in heavy soils and in cold climates to 
protect from frost. 
Pests. Snails and slugs are most serious garden pests. We have found the very best 
control is furnished by Bug-geta Pellets. They also kill cut worms and grasshoppers. 
Because so easy to apply, they are more economical than powders which require you to 
stoop in placing them. Buy the economical way, in 25 lb. bags. Price $3.75 f.0.b. 
La Verne. Ants are a pest in the house and in the garden they distribute aphis and mealy 
bug and tend them like domestic animals. Best control is Ant-B-Gon. Set of 4 dispensers, 
filled, 60c, f.0.b. La Verne. Best to send by mail. Ask your P. M. the amount of postage 
required on 2 lbs. from La Verne. Ant-B-Gon liquid for refilling, 4 oz. 25c post paid. 
Mealy bugs are a serious pest to garden and house plants. They are everywhere and must 
be controlled. First destroy ants. Wash them off of house plants and use a spray of water 
from hose to dislodge from garden plants. You will still need to spray with Garden Vole. 
Use any type of sprayer and a small fly sprayer will do for house plants. Price, Garden 
Volc, 4 oz. for 30c post paid. Use Garden Volc also against Scale Insects. These are the 
remedies we use and have found best. 
Garden Success requires aggressive effort on your part. One can always blame the 
bulbs for failure, but it does not advance one’s knowledge of the art and science of 
gardening. 
ACID AND ALKALINE SOILS 
Most plants thrive in mildly acid, neutral or mildly alkaline soils. But others do not 
have so wide a range of tolerance. Rhododendrons, Zantedeschias, Orchids and others 
require a more or less acid soil. Bearded Iris grow best in a neutral to alkaline soil. The 
5 
