While we are still shipping late lily orders from our 
1950 stock in storage, we find ourselves already in the 
midst of full-scale preparations for the next year. Cus- 
tomers are writing in for prices and descriptions of 
our varieties, information needed for the completion of 
their own catalogs or plans. Most of this data can be 
summed up in our annual price and descriptive list and 
for this reason I decided to advance the date of its 
publication. With the 1950 flowering season still fresh 
in mind it also is a good opportunity for a final check 
on our descriptions. 
At first it was my idea to write an entirely new cata- 
log, containing full descriptions of all new introduc- 
tions. Unfortunately, a late spring frost damaged some 
of the flowers so that it was difficult to obtain good 
color records. The job is well in hand, however, and by 
the fall of 1951 I should be able to report its comple- 
tion. Introductions for 1951] then will be few and none 
of them is of startling importance. We have many 
beautiful novelties coming along and the additional 
year of growth will benefit both ourselves and our 
customers. 
Busy as I am these days, getting ready for my Eastern 
trip and preparing this book, it is with a sense of relief 
that I turn to writing this introduction. Nothing is more 
pleasant, at the end of a busy year, than to sit back for 
a moment and count one’s blessings. Generally speak- 
ing, the year just past was a good one for us. The bulbs 
made a good growth and the demand for everything we 
produced exceeded all our expectations. We sold out 
early in the season, thus disappointing many good cus- 
tomers. The same condition will again prevail next 
year for the demand for quality stock is on the increase. 
The new lilies, such as the CASCADE Madonna lilies 
and the OLYMPIC HYBRIDS, were so popular that 
only the original early orders could be filled. While we 
have planted back more than ever before, we feel cer- 
tain that the supply will again be inadequate. 
The steady support of our good friends in the trade 
is most gratifying to me. We shall endeavor to continue 
to merit this confidence. All our thought and the efforts 
of my entire organization are directed towards the pro- 
duction of still finer bulbs, to give better service and to 
perfect each detail of our operations. The many articles 
on daffodils, lilies and iris that have appeared in the 
magazines and daily papers have been an immense help 
to us and to the gardening public. The intelligent pro- 
REPORT TO OUR CUSTOMERS 
OREGON BULB FARMS 
GRESHAM. OREGON 
motion of fine horticultural products is of the greatest 
importance to our entire industry. Not only I, but all 
bulbgrowers are deeply grateful to the editors. For next 
year again some very important publicity is scheduled. 
Magazines with circulation figures that run into the 
millions are planning special lily articles. Others are 
contemplating special promotion of daffodils or iris. 
Finding ourselves cramped for space in the Gresham 
area, large as it is, we have moved part of our stocks to 
our new farms in New Era. Experiments and check 
plots planted there already indicate that we can expect 
definite advantages from that change. This new culture 
brings our acreage up to very close to two hundred 
actually planted to bulbs. This is, without any doubt, 
the limit of our expansion program. We fully intend to 
seek further growth of our company in a better variety 
selection and in the introduction of new hybrids, rather 
than in raising larger quantities. 
To our friends and customers and to their friends I 
extend a hearty invitation to visit us during the flower- 
ing season. Our daffodils are at their best early in 
April, the iris in May and the lilies flower from late 
May to October. Our farms are close to Portland with 
all its scenic beauty. We are halfway between Portland 
and Mount Hood with its famed Timberline Lodge, as 
pleasant and interesting a hotel as you will find any 
where in the United States. By all means plan to visit 
us next year. 
In conclusion, I should like to take this opportunity 
to express my deeply felt gratitude to all of you who 
have made it possible for us to build this business to its 
present size. We could not have raised our new hybrid 
lilies or our new daffodils and iris without your support. 
Since we are exclusively wholesale, and shall always 
remain so, we can only function through you. It is most 
gratifying to find how well the trade has performed this 
service. We know it entails hard work and often small 
profits. It is thus that horticulture advances and every- 
one of you are playing an important role in that worth- 
while effort. For that too I am grateful. 
Spmeerely soe 
, Presiden 
Gresham, Oregon Sat Ae DE nee 
January, 1951 
PacE 3 
