ORE than $4,000.00 per day represents the cash enclosed with orders received man}' days last Spring. With 

 such a record it is my first duty to thank my friends for a trade that reached my highest expectations, and, in 

 the aggregate amount, surpassed any season's record in the history of this great business. As stated in many 

 previous catalogues, to my friends alone I give the credit. The many kind words annually spoken, in tens 

 of thousands of American homes in favor of Maule's Seeds, is the keystone of the whole arch, and no one 

 recognizes this fact better than myself. I have only one regret, and that is, I did not have enough of many 

 of my specialties to go round. This was especially true of the Freeman Potato. I started the season with several thousand 

 bushels, but, notwithstanding its high price, my large stock was entirely exhausted by April 1st, and very nearly $1,800 

 had to be returned to customers, notwithstanding I advertised in all the leading papers I was sold out. 



The old saying, that "Nothing succeeds like success," is a familiar one. In presenting you this catalogue, it gives 

 me pleasure to hand you what is generally considered, even by my most active competitors, the catalogue of the most suc- 

 cessful mail seed business in America. By actual count, I now have on my books the names of 195,997 customers. This is 

 not a half a million or even quarter of a million, but I have never believed in the rainbow chasing business so generally 

 adopted by many firms in the mail seed business. The above figures were obtained only after four weeks' hard work of 

 three of my most competent clerks, and is the correct count of the number of actual, live, active customers for Maule's Seeds 

 on my books October 1st, 1892. This clientage represents all that is best in American gardening, from those who work in a 

 small village garden to horticulturists favorably known at home and abroad, and is a record I can well be proud of. 



Competition is unquestionably the life of trade, and in no business is this so true as in the seed business. Hustle is 

 a favorite word in many parts of the West, and it certainly requires hustling on my part to hold each year my position in 

 the van of the mail seed business ; but I flatter myself I always get there, and propose in 1893 to still lead the procession. 

 In the past few years I have had many of my methods copied by my competitors, but there is one thing they find it hard to 

 imitate, and that is the quality of the seeds sold. There may be dealers who sell seeds as good as Maule's ; but there is no 

 house in America, and I speak from actual experience in the thousands of trials annually taken on my trial grounds, at 

 Briar Crest, who sends out better. 



As my old friends know, some years ago I retired permanently from the wholesale business with other dealers. This 

 allowed me among other things to concentrate all my efforts to furnishing my customers direct with the best grade of seeds 

 it has been possible to produce. I know full well that every grain of seed coining into my warehouse is to be sent 

 direct to the person who plants it, and who, if it does not come up to recommendation in ever}' particular, is not going to 

 wait long before he lets me know it. How different with the average dealer. A bag comes into the warehouse of one of my 

 competitors; it may be re-shipped at once to another dealer; that dealer will divide the bag and ship to others ; it may go 

 through half a dozen different hands before it reaches the actual planter. How careful then must I be, knowing there is no 

 middle man, but that the complaint, if the seed is not good, is coming to me direct. This one factor of my business is a point 

 every thinking gardener can immediately understand and appreciate. It has only been possible to build up this business with 

 good seeds. No one recognizes this fact better than myself. I go into the season of 1893 with an unsurpassed stock, with a 

 catalogue all will admit is equal to any I have ever published, and with the intention of treating all my friends just as well 

 (better if possible) in the future as I have in the past. 



I do not think it out of place right here to call the attention of my friends to the advertisement of The Practical 

 Farmer on page 5. I can conscientiously recommend this as one of the very best agricultural weeklies in America, full 

 of original matter written especially for it by the most prominent horticulturists and agriculturists. By special arrangement 

 with the publishers, I am able to make the following offer : Any customer ordering $2.00 worth of Maule's Seeds or Plants 

 and remitting 50 cents additional, will be entitled to receive The P. F. every week for one year. This is half the regular 

 subscription price, and all my friends should avail themselves of the privilege, as in a single issue you are likely to secure 

 information on vegetable and flower gardening worth far more than the subscription price. (If your order amounts to $3.50 

 or over you need only remit 25 cents). 



Before closing I must direct the attention of every lover of the beautiful to the greatest floral novelty introduced 

 in many years, and that is the Nymphsea or Pink Water Lily Dahlia. This new Dahlia, which is really a distinct race 

 of this popular flower is bound to create as much excitement in American Horticulture as the Freeman Potato has already 

 done in American Agriculture. 



In conclusion, I can ask nothing more of my friends than that they will favor me with as large a share of their 

 patronage in '93 as they did in '92 ; but I am, of course, always prepared to do a larger business should my friends see fit to 



favor me. 



HiAwiimGi u&u ceil a, fa/u><yfa&i&ud. ^oZu/ruA^a^ri %Lc<a/i, t Z/ i^nuxZyi 



I. SAFE ARRIVAIi.— I guarantee that all goods sold 

 by me shall reach my customers in good order. 



II. MONEY INSCRED.-I guarantee to hold myself 



responsible for the safe arrival of all remittances sent 



me by postofEce order, draft, check or registered letter. 



III. FREE BY MAIL.— I guarantee to deliver 



all garden and flower seeds, except where quoted by 



peck, bus., bbl., or by the 100 lbs., free of all charges. 



IV. AS REPRE.SENTED.-I guarantee my seeds to be 



just as represented. If they prove otherwise, I will refill 



the order free of charge ; but It must be understood I do not 



i^ guarantee the crop any further than to refill the order, 



^ Yours to command, 



ARE YOU A MARKET GARDENER? 

 If you raise track to sell, yon ought to have toy 

 Special Price List. It will be mailed free to Market- 

 Gardeners; bat as it is intended onlv for this partic- 

 ular trade, I cannot send it to private gardeners, even 

 if they apply for it. 



For Index of Contents, see page 2. 



For Description of Earliest of All Peas, illustrated opposite, see page 54. For Description of Shropshire Hero Peas, illustrated opposite, see page 10. 



1 



