Aud Jt Rained... 
Yes, and it rained some more! From early October, 1947, through 
early May, 1948, our section had virtually continuous storms. The 
final blow was the disastrous Columbia River flood. The Weather 
Bureau men tell us we had nearly twelve inches of rain above nor- 
mal and we certainly believe them. The icy deluges kept our nurs- 
ery beds and rows constantly saturated and the water even seeped 
under the coldframes. By Spring the loss of stock was considerable 
and the shortages are still with us to some extent. But worst of all 
was the exasperating delays in digging and packing your orders. 
It was impossible to get the plants out of the ground and dried 
fast enough to maintain even a much reduced shipping schedule. 
Believe us, we were more disturbed by the delays than you were! 
WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL 
to those of you who showed a real understanding of the situation 
and exhibited remarkable patience. To those who were not so pa- 
tient may we say that our organization did its best even under 
very difficult circumstances. Unfortunately most of our varieties 
cannot be stored in bins like apples and then dumped in a box for 
shipment when the orders come in. They are perishable in transit 
and must be dug fresh for each order and packed in a special way. 
This involves drying the tops and wrapping them carefully with 
excelsior as well as placing them in the cartons so there is enough 
air circulation to prevent molding and rotting but not so much that 
they dry out. These operations must be done by hand and take much 
more time than the packing methods required for seeds, bulbs, 
shrubs, and trees. 
OUR SUPERIOR PACKING METHODS 
make many, many friends for us because our plants arrive in first 
class condition. So if your order was delayed, please consider the 
reasons and accept our sincere regrets! 
PROSPECTS FOR 1949 ARE BRIGHT 
As mentioned elsewhere we are growing more plants in pots. This 
will speed up our shipping schedule and give you plants that are 
easy to establish in your garden. We have over half a hundred new 
coldframes of special construction. All are tiled to intercept under- 
ground seepage and the sash are mounted to permit rapid and easy 
handling. During the colder.and rainier parts of the year plants 
will be dug and pots gathered from these frames. All this means 
constantly improving plants and service. 
EVEN AT THE INCREASED 
POSTAL RATES OF 1949 —WE P, 

