FUNS IN 51 
A PERSONAL LETTER, — TO YOU 
Dear Floral Friends, 
As our old customers know, it is my custom to preface our catalogs 
with a personal message to every one of you. Few persons in business, I 
believe, have had the privilege of receiving so many fine letters from their 
customers as I have. There are letters relating to garden experiences, 
successes and sometimes even failures; plant material for identification; 
Sick people, yearning for flowers to help them get well; graduate and under- 
graduate students from colleges who need information or material for 
research; just friendly letters of appreciation and good will. 
I try to reply to all that need a reply but there are too many for a 
personal reply when not needed. For those, this catalog letter is my reply 
and it is likewise addressed to every one who receives this catalog. It is 
intended to carry from me to you a message of faith and hope; of good 
cheer and confidence; of strength to meet every condition of life; of right 
living and straight thinking; of correct evaluation and appreciation for all 
good things. 
One year ago I suggested “Fun in 750” as a good slogan for the year. 
Last week our printer set up our front page and modified the slogan to 
“Fun in ’51.” It seemed like a good idea to me and I had already considered 
using that slogan anyway. The printer made up my mind for me. 
These are a few of the synonyms for the word “fun” as listed by Roget’s 
Thesaurus: amusement, entertainment, diversion, distraction, relaxation, 
solace, pastime, sport, recreation, merriment, avocation, pleasure, frolic, 
laughter, etc. I am sure these synonyms define something we all need. 
In times like the present, when many are worried by the international 
situation, we do need to be distracted from that worry. If we have fear, or 
expectations of defeat or frustration for our national ideals, we should take 
something for it. Let me be your doctor. I will prescribe ‘garden fun.” 
Preliminary to that suppose you take a large dose of faith in eternal justice; 
faith in our American democratic ideals; faith in our strength and our 
resources and those of our allies, the democratic world, which exceed those 
of the entire communistic world except possibly in man power. But our 
superior weapons could overcome that advantage. 
What we all want is peace, not war. George Washington advised us that 
the best way to preserve peace is to be prepared for war. 
In the year ’51 we must work hard. Production of materials for the 
defense of the free world will be at a high peak. There will be little unemploy- 
ment and there need be none for those willing and able to work. Wages are 
already high. We shall need to make sacrifices. But we shall not have to 
sacrifice our essential needs, nor even our comforts. Our real pleasures will 
be available. We can be happy and we can have fun. 
I said a year ago, “Fun is fun- damental.” It is a real necessity because 
it rests our minds and bodies and it makes us strong. We recover from 
today’s efforts and become fit for tomorrow’s. 
It is our business to provide the most fun-damental of all pleasures, 
flowering bulbs and plants. Gardening fun is something you can have. It is 
not expensive and it yields the greatest dividends of profitable relaxation 
and recovery from weariness of mind and body. Flowers sooth and. comfort 
us. They prepare us for another day. 
I do not need to convince those who are our old customers or those who 
have recently asked for our catalog. You already know that you want and 
need flowers. There is no reason why you should not have even more and 
better ones in ’51. 
This catalog was prepared with the greatest care. From page 2 to page 
32, it has been fully revised to give you the best culture information and to 
refer you to the best sources of information. We prefer to tell you about 
the culture required and equipment needed before you buy the plants instead 
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