A HIGH HAT OFTEN COVERS A SOFT HEAD 
A Personal Letter to You 
Dear Floral Friends: 
This letter is meant to be a personal letter to you and 1 shall speak per¬ 
sonally. I get very many friendly and personal letters from customers. The 
friendly relationship pleases me as well as my “silent” (?) partner, Ethel. 
Fortunately only a relative few require a direct answer. That is a point 
to remember. Before asking questions read the catalog carefully. They may 
be answered there. Even our “relative few” sometimes mean nearly a day’s 
work. But we are glad to help always. 
Your letters also often give valuable information about culture and hardi¬ 
ness of bulbs. One from New Jersey tells about growing Alstromerias and 
leaving them in the ground for years. One from a Wichita, Kansas lad has 
found Crinum Cecil Houdyshel hardy there. I would like to have many more 
reports on these experiences. 
You may have noticed that 1 sometimes choose a topic for my “personal 
letter.” This time it is, “A high hat often covers a soft head.” This is as 
much a reminder to myself as to any one else. It has many applications. 
When one fails to accomplish a plan there is a tendency to blame some one 
or something else instead of trying to determine one’s own error. This human 
trait is a great handicap to personal improvement. It is not very important 
to save one’s face, to wear a high hat. People who assume a superior air are 
not as well liked as those who are frankly human and subject to error. It is 
better to try to find one’s error and correct it. 
There are many who overestimate the value of their own work or their 
handiwork, the importance of their efforts, the poem they wrote, the beauty 
and intelligence of their children, the fiower they created, their discovery or 
ivention. They belittle the work of others and assume a superior air, wear 
high hat. 
Once a plant breeder said to me, pointing to one of my originations, “1 
ave plants that make that look like a weed.” It hurt me but it did not stop 
le plant from becoming a universal favorite in its class. 
This trait of overestimating the value of a personal product may lead to 
erious error. Long ago I hit on the plan of judging finally as to the value of 
a new variety by the price it will bring and the number one can sell in competi¬ 
tion with other sorts. 
Recently credit in a most unexpected form came to me for my elforts in 
breeding Amaryllids and in promoting their popularity. Early last spring the 
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