GREETINGS ... 1955 
Dear Iris Friends: 
As we begin this new season, I want to extend my 
heartfelt thanks to my many friends and customers. 
Your generous patronage and your interesting letters 
have been most gratefully received. 
It gives me a real thrill to know that you are so 
pleased with the size and quality of our rhizomes, and 
that you in turn get a thrill from my selections of 
bonus or extra plants. It is also gratifying to know 
that you find the Iris from here so winter hardy and 
free with bloom. 
Your letters have been very welcome in many 
respects. It has been wonderful, through such letters, 
to be able to make so many friends over such a large 
area of the glebe. 
It is amazing if one stops to think about it, how well 
one can become acquainted with someone without ever 
having actually met him and how well one can get to 
know his garden. I believe that I could actually find 
my way around many of these gardens with ease, going 
directly to clumps of favorite Iris, or certain pet seed- 
lings—or to get away from Iris, how many times I’ve 
enjoyed someones special Delphiniums, Phlox, early 
clumps of golden Cypripediums or a long row of 
Lycorus Radiata. Yes, your letters have been most 
welcome. They are a wonderful way to be able to get 
acquainted as well as to be able to enjoy with you 
some of the many things that I would like to be able 
to grow here but can’t. 
Then there are the problems that sometimes arise 
in different gardens and the solutions that are worked 
out. In this case I am glad that I sometimes have been 
able to come up with an answer from my years of 
experience in Iris growing. At other times the solution 
has keen something worked out on the spot which I 
have keen glad to learn myself. And needless to say it 
is most interesting to learn what so many others are 
doing in the hybridizing line. It is fascinatng to hear 
about the results from so many dfferent efforts, and 
T am sure that such ideas, efforts and their results 
are greatly beneficial to us all, especially when they 
can be passed back and forth to so many, so easily. 
It is good to know that so many of you have found 
my booklet on “Hybridizing Hints and Garden Pictures 
with Iris” of so much value. To those of you receiving 
my catalogue for the first time and who might like 
this booklet, we have a few left and you may receive 
one by sending a self addressed stamped envelope. 
To those of you already familiar with this booklet or 
article, may I say that I am preparing a new one 
which will bring our hybridizing ideas and results up 
to date. It will be based upon the results received from 
the many new lines I have been working, such as the 
red bearded pinks into the reds, and the Amoenas 
into the red bearded pinks. It will also include other 
ideas and other possibilities and possible results as 
well as the results of many interesting lines being 
worked and developed by a great many of my friends 
and customers. This will be available later in the 
season. 
This year, garden visitors as well as myself may 
see the results of many of these lines for besides our 
own seedlings and selections, we have as guests for 
observation and trial several hundred new iris, each 
the top result of the various lines being worked by 
these friends. I hope all of you who can will come and 
see these many new Iris. 
I might say that beside these mentioned we are glad 
to be able to display all of the new Sass originations 
and selections as well as the up to date introductions 
from Schreiner, Cooley, Muhlestein, Whiting and a 
great many other top notch hybridizers. At this date, 
everything looks wonderful and the season promises 
to be a perfect one for bloom. 
In closing may I once again say “Thanks” for your 
generous patronage and fine letters and thanks too 
for the many fine garden pictures and snapshots. Our 
collection is beginning to cover the office walls and fast 
becoming a high point of interest to every visitor. 
May you be blessed by a perfect season and good 
health. 
Sincerely, 
Chet “lomplhius 
TERMS—Cash with order, Check, draft or money order. 
POSTAGE PAID-—On all orders of $5.00 or more. With orders for less, 
add 50e for postage, Residents of Iowa please add 2% sales tax. 
SHIPMBENT—Will be made on iris orders beginning July Ist and will 
continue until mid October. Hemerocallis orders will be shipped in mid 
August and September until late fall. 
EXTRAS-—There are no discounts on varieties market NET. On orders 
of $20.00 or more, you may add 30% of the value of the order as your 
extras but to this list of extras please add several alternates as we may 
be short of stock on some items. On orders for less than $20.00 please 
Suggest some extras you would like and if possible we will choose from 
your list or send some similar variety we may consider better. 
We guarantee healthy stock, true to name. If plants do not arrive in 
good condition return them to us at once and we will make restitution by 
supplying fresh plants or a refund, whichever we deem best. Any errors 
will be corrected at once. 
THE AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY 
Membership to the society will bring you four very fine bulletins each 
year. You will find every bulletin simply packed with articles on Hybrid- 
izing, Iris Culture, Planting, Varietal Comments, Questions and Answers 
and accounts of various gardens and the activities of the different regions. 
Dues are $4.00 per year, You may mail your checks to The American Tris 
Society, Franklin Road, Brentwood, Tenn. or you may mail the dues to us 
and we will make your remittance. 
H.—Harly Sib.—-Sister Seedling 
M.—Midseason H. C.—High Commendation 
M. L.—Midseason to late H. M.—Honorable Mention 
L.—Late A, M.—Award of Merit 
Vv. L.— Very Late D. M.—Dykes Medal 
