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A Business Talk With Our 

 Customers. 



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In prt'sfiilinfr this, ilic fortietli edition of our 

 annual catalogue, we wish to say a few words about 

 our business policy. Our business has been estab- 

 lished for almost half a century, and tlie majority of 

 our customers are constant and regular patrons — 

 some of them for twenty-five years — and we flatter 

 ourselves that the merit of our production hascausi'd 

 the continued and steady growth of our business. 

 We have endeavored always, by e.xperimentingand 

 traveling, to discover those plants which have the 

 greatest gardening value, and to offer them to our 

 customers; for of the many tliou.saud varieties of 

 |ilants ottered for sale it is only possible for the pri- 

 vate garden to have comparatively few, and it seems 

 to us important that these few should be the very 

 best. We have endeavored also to have the quality 

 of our plants the highest, and our priccK as low iis 

 consistent with this; and we nnist point out here 

 that the extremely low prices made by .some plants- 

 men in their "great inducemeuls" and "amazing 

 otters" preclude all possiljility of their furnishing 

 plants of the best quality. If you have not already 

 favored us with your onlers we earnestly solicit your patronage, and assure you we will make every eflbrt to fill your 

 orders entirely to your satisfaction, and endeavor to make you one of our regular patrons. 



Our Book.— Our work, "A Few Fkwem Worthi/ of General. Culture;' was published (at first for free distribution) to 

 call serious attention to the great advantage of gardening with hardy flowers; but its attractiveness created such a great 

 demand for it, and from nuniy who were not plant buyers, that it Wiis a serious tax on us and we are compelled to 

 make a nominal charge for it. We think it only fair that those who desire the book, but do not favor us with an 

 order, should at lesist |)ay us the actual cost of it. The fourth and enlargefl edition, now ready, is certainly the most 

 beautiful book on flowers yet published— can he had, bound in a handsome durable cover, for 50 cents, or in leather for 

 7o cent.s, and viftv ckvps will be ai.i.owkd on thk kih.st oudkr sknt amounting to two dollars or more; or, an order 

 for two dollars or more will secure a copy free, but not a second copy if one has already been received. 



Our Catalogue. — It will be noticed that our Catalogue is very small ; but we believe it contains more that is really 

 valuable for gardening purpo-ses than any published in this coiuitry ; in fact, we have endeavored to make it truly a fmn 

 Jlower.1 worthy of general culture. 



How to Send Money.— We will be res[K)nsible for money sent by Express, Post Oflice Money Order, Registered 

 ivctter or Draft. (/' .leiU in any other my we disclaim all respmnibility. Individual checks for amounts less than ten 

 dollars will not be accepted, as we must pay for the collection of them. 



A Present. — We are going to give each of our customers who purchase fron\ us twenty-five dollar's worth or more 

 of plaut.s this sejison a copy of Reynolds Hole's Honk About I{ose». We do not offer this as an inducement to buy. for 

 the price of the book would be no inducement to buy twenty-five dollar's worth, but the Ixjok is such a delightful one 

 that we wish to share the pleiusure we have in it with as many as po.ssible, and coidd we afford it we would give a copy 

 to every one of our customers without discrimination. We are incliiu'd to think that liberal premiums for buving mean 

 liberal profits, and perhaps buyei-s would prefer to get the vatue of their money in the |>laiUs they order rather than in 

 premiums. 



Estimates Furnished.— .Vrrangements can be made by those desiring to improve their grounds to have one of 

 our house visit any place in .Vmerica, and who will furnish them a detailed i>laii and estimate for the jiroposed 

 improvement. 



Bedding Plants.— It will be noticed that we say but little of bedding plant.", and why should we? All know of 

 their uses and, we are sorry to say, abu.ses, not but what bedding plants have merit ; their place is a secondarv one, 

 however, and they should not exclude the great wealth of hardy plants from our gardens. To supply our tradp we grow 



