Dc M. Ferry &, Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 



2,400. Here, too, seeds are tested as to vitality, a sample from every lot of seeds received being 

 counted out and planted and a record made of the percentage that will grovv^. Intermediate 

 betvv'een the Trial Grounds and the Seed Farms proper are several parcels of land devoted to 

 the development of improved stock seed. Whenever, in visiting crops, we see a plant of noticeably 

 superior quality, we save the seeds produced by it and plant them by themselves in one of these 

 gardens; and if the product is found to be superior, it is saved and grown by itself as a com- 

 mencement of a new or improved stock. In this way we are each year improving our seeds. 



Small Paper Bag Manufacturing Room. 

 But having secured a crop of, pure and well grown seed^, the work is but half done; for they 

 must now be distributed in small quantities to those who may want them. No one can appreci- 

 ate, without experience, the difficulty of so distributing the hundreds of varieties the trade now 

 demands, without mistakes of labeling or mixing of samples, and it certainly cannot be done 

 without the best facilities for the work. In this respect we think we have the advantage of any 

 seedsmen in America in our 



Central Seed Store and IVareliouse, which occupies one-half of the 



block bounded by Randolph, Croghan, Brush and Lafayette streets, extending 300 feet on Brush 

 and 120 feet on Croghan and Lafayette streets. It has a handsome exterior of stone and brick, 

 is four stories high, with a well lighted and ventilated basement under the whole. The aggregate 

 area of the several floors is between four and five acres, and all is used in the handling rather 

 than the storing of oiir seeds. Our large store house at the farm, and arrangements with our 

 growers enabling us to store our seeds so that they need be in the central building but a short 

 time. The interior arrangements are very complete and convenient as may be fudged by the 

 illustrations of several of the rooms, and which we think are sufficiently comprehensive to render 

 any further explanation unnecessary. Directly opposite our central store is 



Our Box Factory. It is a three story building, in the same architectural style 

 as the warehouse, and especially adapted to the manufacture and repair of our boxes of which 

 Ave have in use over 250,000. Here, in the busy season, 100 men are at work with various ma- 

 chines designed especially for us, and capable of doing everything from the sawing of the lumber 

 to the sand-papering of the finished boxes. We annually manufacture over 700,000 feet of lum- 

 ber, much of it black walnut, into about 35,000 boxes. 



Our Canadian Brancll. For the accommodation of our Canadian friends we 

 have a branch establishment at Windsor, Ontario, opposite Detroit. Although connected by 

 telephone, and but a few minutes' ride from our central store, this is an entirely distinct estab- 

 lishment. The stocks, which are essentially duplicates of those used in the States, are im- 



