BREATHING THE BREATH OF LIFE INTO YOUR GARDEN 
We have a word of advice for old time gardeners too. Many gardens are more or 
less static. The same old perennials come up in the same old places. This year’s gar- 
den was last year’s garden. Once attractive, the garden picture becomes more stereo- 
typed.and uninteresting year by year, the while the soil becomes more depleted. We 
think your garden is a living thing and should be kept alive! It should feature new 
and thrilling plants each and every year! Dig up the outmoded and no longer inter- 
esting plants and discard them resolutely and with no regrets, the same as you would 
dispose of your wornout and outmoded garments or furnishings. They have paid for 
themselves in previous enjoyment many times over. Exercise your taste and discrim- 
ination outdoors as you would indoors. Chances are your garden is a much more 
exposed and critical reflection of these qualities than your boudoir or living room. 
Your garden deserves flowers of distinction and will command interest, respect and 
enjoyment in direct relation to their presence. 
FLOWERS OF DISTINCTION 
How fortunate we got around to this ‘flowers of distinction” subject. Come to 
think about it that’s what we were wanting to mention all along. We’ve got ’em! The 
pages of this catalog are crammed with them and at a price anyone can afford. Price 
depends on abundance or scarcity and not on beauty. Old fashioned law of supply 
and demand operates here. No parity prices, no government subsidies, no inflation. 
Our plants are grown expertly and with regard for their inherent vigor. This is the 
ninth annual edition of our catalog and we have had gratifyingly increased sales 
every year of our existence. We do not resort to a policy of cutting prices or slighting 
quality. Plants in our Collections are the same high standard that we sell individually. 
Our business is won on the old fashioned basis of fair pricing, high quality and consci- 
entious service. 
100 BEST IRIS. THE MEANING OF “fsje” 
A feature of our catalog interesting to many, is the inclusion of information 
about the ranking 100 BEST iris. We couldn’t present this data so completely were it 
not for the kind and unselfish cooperation of two of the nation’s foremost dealers in 
irises and daylilies, Mrs. Thomas Nesmith of Fairmount Gardens, Lowell, Mass., and 
Mr. Robert Schreiner of Schreiner’s Gardens, Saiem, Oreg. Every experienced grower 
knows these dealers by reputation, if not personally. Eminent hybridists in their own 
right, they have introduced lovely irises of their own as well as those of others. There 
are no more competent judges of these flowers in all the world. For those which we 
catalog, we have designated their selections by appending a lower-case initial follow- 
ing the description—“f” for Fairmount Gardens, ‘“‘s’” for Schreiner’s. In addition we 
have appended a “j’” for the annual poll of judges of the American Iris Society, known 
as the Symposium. Initiated a number of years ago by the noted iris hybridist, Ken- 
neth D. Smith, this poll is now compiled by Robert E. Allen, Registrar and Recorder 
for the Society. The fourth list is our own and is designated by the letter “e” for 
Edenwald. 
THE MISSES AMERICA OF 1950 
So there you have it! Who’s Who among the glamor gals of the iris world! 
Likely if you picked ’em yourself, there’d be still another list. It’s like picking the 
All-American Football Team—so many good players left out that nobody is satisfied. 
Remember, no matter how conscientious one may be in these selections, lack of 
acquaintance with competing varieties, personal preferences, differences of climate, 
soil or season, and the human weakness of “following the crowd” may influence this 
selection. 
IN CONCLUSION 
Be sure to read the special offer to new customers on the inside back cover. Also 
the other information contained there about ordering. It may avoid mistakes and 
unnecessary correspondence during our rush period. 
Thanking you for your patronage, your great kindness in recommending us to 
others and for the “love letters,” we remain 
Sincerely, 
EDITH & WALTER BUSS 
“Ede & Walt” 
P. S. Why don’t you come up and see us sometime? Our location is two miles 
northeast of Vincennes on State Road 67. Peak bloom for iris normally about May 
15th; for daylilies, the first half of July. We’ll be seeing vou! EK. & W. 
