We continued our plan of planting seed in bands. Seed is planted 
early in the year, in bands, and started in the greenhouse. As soon as 
the cold frames are empty, we move them outside and continue grow- 
ing in the frames until late in October. We can give them better 
attention, more water, and keep them growing longer by doing this. 
We get nice size bulbs this way and most of them bloom the next 
season, so we get a chance to see color the second year. We plant from 
ten to twenty seeds in three inch bands and will get bulbs from size 
three to size six in the fall. Some varieties will make larger bulbs 
than will other crosses, but it is not unusual to get ten or twelve half- 
inch bulbs from one band. 
The question of which bulb will produce the best show spike again 
had our attention. We are more and more inclined to say that a large 
plump bulb, grown from a number one bulb, and with a scar up to an 
inch in size, will do better than a large plump bulb grown from a No. 6 
bulb or from bulblets, with a scar of a quarter inch or less. It has been 
our theory that the first bulb will have more roots, it can take in more 
food and water than will the bulb with the small scar. We would 
suggest you try it and see for yourself. Personally, we would prefer 
the large plump bulb with the large scar for best results. 
EARLY ORDERS 
We always ask that you order as early as possible for several 
reasons. Work bunches up late in the spring, we are starting to plant 
for one thing, and perhaps the most important reason for all is the 
fact that our stocks are picked over early in the year and you might 
not get the variety you wanted, or the size you wanted. We like to get 
our orders filled as they come in, even though shipment is not made 
until late in the season. We can give an order much better attention 
when it is received early in the year. 
We would suggest that orders sent in after the middle of March 
should provide for substitution of size, and if possible for substitution 
of variety. We will do our best to fill your orders as you request and 
will not substitute unless we are out of the item or size. If substitutions 
are made, we will give equal or more value than the original item. 
EXTRAS 
It has become more or less a trade practice to give some extras with 
an order, primarily for the purpose of having you try out some varieties 
we think you might like. Some catalogues offer a percentage discount 
of your own selection, and others do like we do, put in some extras 
we think might appeal to you. 
When an order is filled and ready to ship, the question of what to 
put in as an extra comes up. If the man has ordered we will say, 
mostly smokies, it’s not too hard to see where he might like some 
unusual or rare smokie as an extra, but where the order covers a lot 
of varieties, what to put in becomes a problem. We wish you would 
suggest what you would like, a number of items if you care to, so that 
we can fill the extras from some of those items. The number of extras 
we can give will depend on the size of the order and when it is 
received. The earlier orders probably get the best in the way of 
extras,—we have more to select from, and we have more time in 
which to do it. 
