TO OUR PATRONS. 



jjfT is our pleasure to again greet you on the opening of the New Year, 



jjj hoping it will prove one of fruitfulness and prosperity to all. 



•f*- The past season has been unpropitious to many farmers and 

 gardeners over our vast country : the crops of those in the West 

 being cut down by the drought and ravages of insects, or those more 

 favored can scarcely find a profitable market for the sale of their pro- 

 ductions : those in the Eastern section suffering losses on account of 

 the very late spring and protracted summer drought ; st-ill we all have 

 reason to be thankful that some crops have resulted successfully, and 

 hopeful in the anticipation that another season may be more favorable. 

 Now is the season for reviewing the past, and plan to endeavor in our 

 future operations to avoid the mistakes and errors in our closing season's 

 cultivation. 



We love to remember our victories, but it is more profitable to re- 

 member our mistakes and defeats. Even those of the greatest knoAvl- 

 edge and experience are ever making mistakes. To wisely consider the 

 mistakes of the year gone by, their causes and results, will help us to 

 avoid similar errors in the future. 



Now is a good time for commencing a Diary to map out our operations 

 for the coming year, the needed supplies of seeds, etc., noted, and in 

 which, at the close of each day, there should be recorded the condition 

 of the weather, the experiments we make, their results, and the varied 

 occurrences of the day Avorthy of being remembered. 



Our earnest and determined policy is to supply all our friends and 

 customers with pure and reliable Seeds, using every caution and care in 

 the trial of JVeio and Old Varieties, testing their germinating qualities, 

 and insuring their genuineness before sending out. 



Our large sample and trial grounds are under the direct supervision 

 of ourselves and an experienced market gardener, where each sort is 

 carefully grown and registered, date of planting, time of maturing, 

 growers' names, etc., entered, and marginal notes made for references, so 

 that in the event of any irregularities the source can be immediately 

 traced. We do not profess to be the growers of more than a few leading 

 articles that require great attention to insure their purity; the bulk of 

 oiir stock is grown by competent and responsible growers under our 

 sn]iervision, and those imported from the best houses of Europe, some 

 havimr supplied us for over thirty-five years. 



We feel satisfied that our labors and close attention to business have 

 been fully ap))reciated by our customers, from the fact of a great annual 

 increase of business in every department, including Vegetable and 

 Flower Seeds, Grass and Agricultural Seeds, Ornamental Plants, Bulbs, 



3 



