AST season, for the first time in several years, we did not send out a cata- 
logue. Our labor situation was serious, the demand for cuttings was so 
great that we could not accommodate everyone, and we felt that distributing 
a catalogue would further complicate a difficult situation. 
We are just as short-handed today as we were a year ago. The demand for 
carnation cuttings this season is already greatly in excess of last year’s demand. 
Nevertheless, we are convinced that we have a responsibility in sending this 
little catalogue to you and other friends . .. . the responsibility of renewing 
and preserving friendships, of strengthening reputations and maintaining good 
customer relations. We want you to keep remembering us, and we want to 
make you feel our appreciation of your goodwill and patronage. We wish to 
continue serving you to the best of our ability during these difficult days, and 
to resume our normal relations when peace and sanity return to the world. 
We may not be able to fill your order as promptly this season as both of us 
would like. We may not be able to tell you exactly when your order will be 
shipped, except that it will go out within the propagating season, and as prompt- 
ly as possible. We may not even be able to accept your order if you delay too 
leng in placing it. But we want you to know that we are working long hours 
and striving hard to serve you efficiently and to accept as large a volume of busi- 
ness as will permit us to maintain our reputation for quality and service. 
We are making great plans for future expansion and improvement, and when 
conditions finally return to normal, you may be assured of receiving unsur- 
passed service. In the meantime, we solicit your cooperation and patience. We 
insist upon producing quality stock and handling it properly, regardless of the 
volume of business we may transact. If you do not receive your order when you 
expected it, please remember that the job of growing plants of high quality 
cannot be rushed, that more growers are buying carnation cuttings today than 
ever before in the history of the industry, that we have sent a great many of our 
men, to the armed forces and to war industries, and that we are laboring under 
serious handicaps. We assure you that we are constantly working and plan- 
ning to serve you better. 
