last I shipped a package so packed to Namur, Belgium. Last 
year I shipped another package to Belgium——and both ar- 
rived in good condition. This year I will ship to Japan as 
well, and do not anticipate any trouble. 
PACKING AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS 
Now this careful packing takes TIME, MATERIAL and 
STAMPS for parcel post, as all small orders will go forward 
by prepaid parcel post (large orders at special prices will go 
by express, COLLECT). To cover this expense I am asking 
each customer to add 50e to the total of the order when the 
same is $5.00 or less to cover transportation and packing 
costs. In cases where the order runs from $5.00 to $10.00 
please add 75c to the order, and $1.00 when the order amounts 
to more than $10.00. This arrangement has worked out rea- 
sonably well in the past, but since the parcel post rates have 
taken a “tremendous” jump recently I am afraid the 50 cents 
added to small orders will hardly pay the parcel post charges 
through zones one and two, with nothing for packing (which 
I take a pride in and which certainly costs something). If 
you have made any parcel post shipments lately you will 
know exactly what I mean when I say they have “really” 
jumped. However, I will leave the rates the same for 1954, 
and hope it will work out better than it now appears. I prac- 
tically always inciude a few gratis plants with each order, so 
be generous in your allowance for packing and parcel post 
charges, and in turn I will promise to be “generous” with 
extra plants. 
QUANTITY PRICES 
If interested in quantity, most standard and not-too-scarce 
varieties can be furnished in lots of 25 or multiples thereof 
of one variety at around 15 cents each, but please write me 
first the varieties you want and how many of each variety, 
before you order in quantity as some varieties are slow prop- 
agators and I could not supply them in quantity at any price. 
Similarly, dozen lots can usually be shipped at $2.00 per 
dozen but again I must know in advance what varieties you 
wish. Also, please remember that the above quantity prices 
apply only when you order the 25 or 12 plants of one variety 
—when ordered a plant or so of many different varieties the 
“each” price prevails no matter how many plants are included 
in the order. 
RAIN-PROOF PLANT LABELS 
While I am so very careful to label each plant that I ship 
correctly and recommend to all my customer-friends that they 
permanently mark each variety, I receive each fall a number 
of letters from customers who wish me to identify a certain 
bloom that they particularly like—stating usually that they 
just left the paper label on the plant and naturally it was not 
there when the plant bloomed. Since so many customers don’t 
permanently label their mums, last year I started using a 
new type of label—a paper label it is true, but one that is 
“water resistant,” and as a result these labels will be on the 
plant in the fall at blooming time and the typewritten name 
will be legible. This label seems to be solving the problem of 
variety names at blooming time, and so I will use it in the 
future—in fact, I have had my name and address printed on 
one side of the label. However, don’t depend on these 
paper labels too much (as good as they really are, occasion- 
ally a label will be lost). So to be on the safe side perma- 
nently mark each variety—I won’t let a plant stay in my 
garden if I do not know the name of it. And, speaking of 
“labeling,” that naturally brings up the matter of correct 
labeling. 
