I am happy to call your attention to our extended list of Fancy Leaf Cala- 
diums, under the Arum Family. Also to the listing of Blood lilies or Haeman- 
thus under the Amaryllis Family. There has been much interest in these re- 
cently because of their beauty, their rarity and their unusual appearance. Bill- 
bergias, (last page), and Maricas, (Iris Fam.), too are unusual and beautiful. 
The Saintpaulias are making such a bid for popularity that they are becom- 
ing almost our most popular house plants. Please read our announcement about 
them under the Gloxina Family or Gesnesaceae. Our new aluminum greenhouse 
is almost ready for glass. Then a heating plant and benches will be installed. 
Therein we shall propagate Saintpaulias and hope to have a large list of varie- 
ties to distribute in April. That is early enough to begin shipping as these 
tender plants cannot be safely shipped in winter. Those interested in acquiring 
Saintpaulias should apply early for our price list which will be sent out in April. 
Under Gesneraceae also please note our extended list of Achimines. These 
tiny tubers produce lovely plants with still more interesting and lovely flowers 
and they are very difficult to obtain. 
You who grow Cymbidiym orchids and have had trouble in getting them 
to flower, deserve our help. They flower well for us and we tell you how to 
do it. See Cymbidiums, under Orchid Fam. We offer flowering size clumps at 
greatly reduced prices that should give you flowers next year. 
Our large new aluminum greenhouse is costing us a lot and I must admit 
we have had to go in debt. But it will help us to serve you better. 
I am confident that our customers will support our efforts and give us their 
business, because, as I have explained before, we cannot publish a catalog giving 
you much information about plants and their culture, and send it to 35,000 cus- 
tomers free of charge, if they accept the free culture advice and thereby bene- 
fit but buy their bulbs elsewhere. Names remain on our mailing list two years. 
If no orders are credited on your filing card your name is dropped. 
Most of you have already read about the California freeze. We will be get- 
ting inquiries, so I will answer here. Our Rancho De Las Flores, (Ranch Of 
The Flowers) is located where we seldom have temperatures below 30°. But 
sometimes it may go to 28°. We are able to grow Cymbidium orchids out doors 
-and up to this year have had only one flower scape to freeze. 
But on the night of Jan. 3, the temperature at 6 P. M. was several degrees 
below freezing. By 9 P. M. it was 20° and at 3:30 A. M. when I arose it was 
still 20° Between that time and 6 A. M. I read the thermometer several times 
and one reading was 19°, which probably lasted only a short time. I examined 
the following plants: Cymbidiums, Laelias, Odontoglossums, Epidendrum obrien- 
ianum, E. Burtonii, Epidendrum,—those with pseudo-bulbs, Lycaste, Stanhopea, 
Schomburgkia, Cypripendium, Zygopetalum, and other orchids. Also Philoden- 
drum, Haemanthus, Clivias, Amaryllis advena, Lycoris, Vetheimia, Strelitzia, 
etc. All had foliage frozen stiff. The flower spikes of Cymbidium and Zygo- 
patalum orchids were frozen hard. A crock of water had almost 1” of ice. A 
few hydrants were frozen and on thawing turned loose streams of water. 
We lost nearly all of our crop of Cymbidium flowers, I think. There were 
about 100 spikes started which should easily give 1,500 flowers. Their whole- 
sale value at before the freeze prices would be $750. They have now doubled 
in price because most of the growers suffered the same fate. We still hope that 
a few of the short, recently started scapes were protected by the foliage and 
escaped freezing. 
- But none of the Cymbidium plants were harmed in the slightest degree. 
About the only plants harmed seriously were Epidendrum Burtoni, and only a 
very few of the Clivias, not over 1%. Our greenhouse orchids were not affect- 
ed, of course. ; 
Even at that, we were lucky. It could have been worse. 
The entire California Cut Flower Industry lost about $13,500,000. Citrus 
growers more than that, but most of their crops were saved by smudging. The 
Imperial Valley vegetables are almost a complete loss. They will of course re- 
plant and raise later crops. 
For all of you, I wish a happy, prosperous year with good health and a 
wonderful garden to make you happy. For America, you will all join me in 
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