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HE DINGEE & CONARD CO., 



ROSE GROWERS, /-\ TVT /^ - . 



. WEST GROVE, PA. ^Ur l>|CW i3"l<i« tO f 



Rose Culture ^.tr: f 



...1897... 

 Co Our fi'icnds and Customers: 



edition. 



^ 



jjOR nearly thirty years it has been our duty and 

 pleasure to occupy a page in each catalogue 

 with a friendly talk with "friends and cus- 

 tomers." After having served the flower- 

 loving public for such an extended period, 

 the salutation, " To Our Friends and Customers," has a 

 significance that can be grasped only by those who have 

 been thus honored with the confidence of thousands upon 

 thousands of good friends, who have sent us their orders 

 year after year. 



A Satisfied Customer is Our Best Advertisement. 

 In these times, when deliberate misrepresentations are 

 not uncommon, and with cheap spider-and-the-fly offers 

 confronting the buyer on all sides, we feel that it is really 

 an honor to be proud of to receive 



the steady support of all our old ^^■^"' 



friends, as well as the patronage of 

 new friends who come to us by the / 



thousands each successive year. 

 To all we tender sincere and 

 hearty thanks. 



If for any reason mistakes oc- 

 cur (and they are likely to where 

 so many orders are handled), re- 

 member that it is impossible to 

 prevent some errors creeping in, 

 and if any have occurred or should 

 be made in filling your order, 

 please tell us at once and we will 

 cheerfully rectify them and make 

 all entirely satisfactory to you. It 

 is this policy of having all our cus- 

 tomers satisfied with their dealings 

 with us that has won their lasting 

 friendship. We believe this to be 

 our best advertisement. 



Honesty and Integrity— 

 Their Value. 



When sending your order to 

 us, you may rest assured that you 

 will receive just what we promise 

 to send you, and if that is impossible, we will send you what 

 you want — or return your money. It has never been our 

 policy to praise unduly the goods we offer. The ease and 

 quickness with which goods are delivered by Mail or Ex- 

 press to any part of the United States makes it as safe for 

 you to buy from us, no matter where you live, as if you 

 were our next-door neighbor. The fact that you buy by 

 Mail or Express, at a great distance, entitles you to just 

 the same treatment as if you were here face to face with 

 us buying your goods in person. A man that means to 

 be honest will be whether deahng with his neighbors at 

 home or a thousand miles away. The cardinal principles 

 of honesty and integrity that always have been character- 

 istic of our dealings will be rigidly maintained and en- 

 forced in all departments of our business. 

 Your Order. 



Now, a word or two about that order we expect, or 

 rather, hope to receive this Fall. You will notice we offer 

 several specialties that we call particular attention to, be- 

 lieving them to be highly meritorious and worthy of recom- 

 mendation. This book also contains a complete list of all 

 the standard Winter-flowering bulbs, choice plants, hardy 

 shrubs and fruits. We would call attention to the fact 



Charles Dingee, Founder, 





that all the bulbs we offer are grown especially for us, and 

 are of the first or largest size. Smaller and inferior bulbs 

 can be bought at cheaper prices — but they are sure to be 

 an expensive bargain for the buyer. 



A good rule to be guided by is to buy the best where 

 you know you will get it at honest prices. Notwithstand- 

 ing that an import duty of 25 per cent, has been applied to 

 all imported bulbs and plant products, we have not raised 

 our prices, but have in many instances given our customers 

 the benefit of our knowledge of buying by making liberal 

 reductions. Our prices are as low as first-class stock can 

 be bought for, and we hope you will not look through 

 this book without making up an order, however small it 

 may be. Without a few Winter-blooming flowers you 



miss that cheery comfortable look 

 " '~'~~^ that they alone can give. Don't 



be without them. They are very 



inexpensive and wonderfully easy 



to get along with. 



The Pounder of this 

 Business. 



We know of no better time to 

 introduce to our many friends one 

 of the pioneer Rose growers of 

 this country (and the first to send 

 them safely by mail), Mr. Charles 

 Dingee, the founder of this present 

 great business, and for nearly fifty 

 years its active managing head, 

 whose likeness appears on this 

 page. After a life that has spanned 

 and gone beyond the Biblical al- 

 lotment of three-score and ten, 

 we are proud to have him still 

 guiding the destinies of this busi- 

 ness, whose fame is not confined 

 within the shores of our own coun- 

 try, and under whose fostering 

 care and wise direction it has be- 

 come the leading Rose-growing 

 establishment of America. The 

 road to success is long, steep and stony, and is rarely , if ever, 

 reached by accident. Capacity, ability, force and unim- 

 peachable honesty and integrity are the fundamental prin- 

 ciples necessary to its attainment. These are prominent 

 factors that have made this business what it is, and which 

 Viave been so thoroughly exemplified by its founder and 

 instilled into its co-workers. Dishonesty in all its forms has 

 been the cause of releasing instantly those who believed it to 

 be a virtue by which the journey to success is quickened. 

 Mr. Dingee's absence in Europe when this is written, 

 seeking recreation after a season of active work, makes 

 the introduction possible. 



Concluding. 

 In conclusion we wish to say our great specialty is, 

 and has been for nearly thirty years, the Rose on its own 

 roots. We now have over seven hundred varieties in 

 stock, which we can furnish, in season, at popular prices. 

 The Dingee & Conard Co. has no connection 

 whatever with any other concern, and will not 

 be responsible for any offers except those which 

 it makes. With many thanks for past favors, and await- 

 ing your kind order, we are. Yours faithfully. 

 The Dingee & Conard Co., Rose Growers, West Grove, Pa. 



OUR NEW GUIDE TO ROSE CULTURE for Spring and Summer of 1898 



will be ready January i, 1898, and will be s&xW. free without request to customer-; of present season, including this Fall ; also to customers 

 of last year. To all others it will be stnt free upon application. It will be a handsome book of 120 pnges, contaming a complete list 

 of Roses, Hardy Plants, Summer-flozvering Bulbs, Fruits, Flower and Vegetable Seeds, m fact all flowers worth growing will be 

 offered for sale at popular prices. As a book of Roses it is conceded to be the leading catalogue of America. It will contain accurate 

 descriptions of over seven hundred (700J varieties, including all the standard varieties as well as many new and rare sorts not offered 

 elsewhere. Always address The Dingee & Conard Co., Rose Growers, West Grove, Pa. 



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