850 



HORTICULTURE. 



June 29, L907 



St. Louis. Many garden seeds were 

 grown, however, in Welhersfield, 

 Conn., as well as in Lebanon, N. Y., 

 and vicinity — these latter by the 

 Shakers. In the small towns garden 

 seeds were sold principally by drug- 

 gists, hardware merchants and groc- 

 ers. Probably many of you are of 

 the opinion that in those bygone days 

 the varieties of different classes of 

 seeds were small but such really is 

 not the case and you will be surprised 

 to find that in the catalogue of Grant 

 Thorburn, 1S22. there are quoted some 

 nine varieties of snap beans, and 

 among them you will see Six Weeks, 

 White Kidney and Refugee. Pole 

 beans also appear in some six varie- 

 ties such as Dutch Case Knife, Red 

 Cranberry, Scarlet Runner, Large 

 Lima, etc. Among the cabbages I und 

 there were twenty varieties, such well 

 known favorites as Early York, Early 

 Sugar Loaf and Globe Savoy appear- 

 ing. 



In 1847 the catalogues were increas- 

 ing in size and varieties of vegetables 

 in proportion. This catalogue of 18-17 

 shows a corn list of seven varieties 

 some of which are very well known 

 at the present day, like the Early 

 Golden Canada, Early Burlington, 

 Early Tuscarora, Early Dutton, etc. 

 in 1864 other varieties are added to 

 this corn list, like Early Dwarf, Darl- 

 ings, Eight Rowed. Asylum and 

 Stowell's Evergreen, Sugar, etc. Even 

 in 1847 the list of peas w.as quite an 

 extensive one there being at least 

 thirty sorts catalogued but of these 

 only two sorts were wrinkled. These 

 were the Tall and Dwarf Knights, 

 and British Queen and the next year 

 brought us that famous old pea the 

 Champion of England. In 1SG4 a 

 dozen more wrinkled sorts were added 

 and among them was the Advancer. 

 Up to a period beginning about with 

 our civil war nearly all garden peas 

 were imported from England and they 

 were indeed beautiful samples. Up to 

 1850 and for some years thereafter, all 

 such imported seeds came by sailing 

 vessel; peas and other articles in five 

 bushels casks costing a guinea apiece. 

 Later on, however, they were shipped 

 in very heavy double sacks which 

 were returned to the old country and 

 used over again for several seasons. 



Our catalogue of 1864 contained a 

 long list of most of the leading vege- 

 tables of to-day and what strikes me 

 as being very peculiar is, and it may 

 be something equally curious to you 

 gentlemen, that the prices of those 

 days averaged about the same as the 

 prices of the present day and the only 

 marked exception to these prices was 

 that of the Advancer pea which had 

 only been recently introduced as a very 

 fine wrinkled sort and it was quoted 

 at $1.00 a. quart, while all the other 

 varieties were listed at from 20 to 60c. 

 a quart. 



The high retail price for seeds be- 

 gan in 1867 and continued for some ten 

 or eleven years during which period 

 the ruling price for Valentine, Mohawk 

 and Refugee beans was $10.00 per 

 bushel. Beets were then quoted at 

 from $1.00 to $2.00 per pound: cab- 

 bage from $2.50 to $8.00 a pound: leek 

 from $4.00 to $7.00 a pound; lettuce 

 from $3.00 to $5.00; onions from $3.00 

 to $0.00; peas (the common sorts) 

 $10.00 per bushel; Little Gem $28.00 

 per bushel riud $1.00 a quart; Y'ork- 



shire Hero $18.00 per bushel; Cham- 

 pion of England $10.00 per bushel; 

 peppeis from $5.00 to $7.00 a pound; 

 radish from $1.00 to $1.50 a pound; 

 turnips from $1.00 to $2.00 a pound. 

 In 1S69 all onions were quoted at $6.00 

 per pound. It was in 1870 that tlie 

 Egyptian beet was a novelty and its 

 seed sold at 50c. an ounce. In 1873 

 I found Conover's Colossal asparagus 

 listed at 50c. per ounce; Trophy 

 tomato $10.00 a pound, while the other 

 varieties of tomato were quoted at 

 from $3.00 to $4.00 per pound. Queen 

 onions I find listed at $10.00 per pound, 

 and even up to a period as late as 1875 

 Carter's Premium Gem peas were 

 quoted at $1.50 a quart; the Blue Peter 

 variety at $1.25 a quart. The Beauty 

 of Hebron potato was first offered for 

 sale in 1878 according to Thorburn's 

 catalogue of that date. 



This parity of prices applied only 

 to seeds and certainly not to the Hol- 

 land bulbs, for I have before me now 



lexj 



TIC 



HANGING 

 BASKETS 



Doz. 100 

 10 in. Bowl$l 10 $11 

 12 " " 1.25 13 

 U •' " 1.50 16 



W. Elliott & Sons 



^^X-^ 201 Fulton St, N. Y. 



Witloef was listed — so many years 

 ago — yet it seems scarcely known by 

 anybody even at the present date, 

 though quite large quantities of it 

 are imported weekly from France and 

 we all know how easily it may be 



r. />^ 



»n»,#oti., ^:^^2^- 



/a<^i^ 



, ISO.;' 



Mr. /W'^'^^ 



J 



Bought of Grant Thorburn, 



SEEUSMAN'AJtt) FLORIST, No. 20. NASSAU-ST, 





yf^£,£.^^t^-c^ 









a small iiivdiic daied Lsm; reiidereil 

 by our house, a photographic copy of 

 which has been preserved, showing 

 hyacinths charged at 3s. 6d. sterling 

 each and tulips at 2s. sterling each. It 

 is also interesting to note that at the 

 date of the invoice mentioned English 

 money was the only currency used 

 here. It seems curious too, that in 

 our catalogue of that date the Brussel 





culiivau'il 111 nur own gardens either 

 for salads or for cooking. 



Considering the many voluminoas 

 and many beautiful catalogues issued 

 by our seed houses to-day, our 

 modest pretensions of some sixtj' 

 years ago seem plain and even in- 

 significant. The increase in the size 

 of the present catalogues comprising 

 as they do so many novelties and new 



ZIRNCIEBEL'S GIANT PANSIES 



Fresh Crop Now Ready 



Famed for a quarter of a century and when you buy them you get the best In exist =» 

 ence. I am continuing the pansy business on exactly the '^ame standard as carried on by 

 my father, the late Denvs Zikn'giebei.. None genuine «nless sold by me. 



AUGUSTUS ZIRNGIEBEL, Needham, Mass. 



GIANT MARKET. "The Variety for the Million." Trade packet, 2000 seeds, $1.00. 

 QIANT FANCV. The Ne Plus UI-TRA in Pansies. Trade packet, 1000 seeds, $1.00. 



