We have come to look upon the growth and improvement possible in the seed business as 

 practically without limit. American tables to-day are supplied with the finest vegetables in the 

 world. Their quality, as compared with that of vegetables a quarter century ago is striking evi- 

 dence of well directed progress and improvement. It is but a few years since Celeiy and Toma- 

 toes were almost unknown as food plants. To-day, in a single county, 300 factories employ 

 1,500 persons in canning tomatoes; and celer}% besides being found in nearly every garden in our 

 land, is grown commercially in immense quantities in certain favorable localities. The corner 

 grocer now is asked not merely for "green peas," but consumers are aware of the choice varie- 

 ties, and insist on being served v/ith "Little Gems" and "Champions." This wide spread 

 demand of the people for better vegetables has pressed upon the seedsman in the shape of a call 

 for the necessary seeds, until it is true that nothing in the history of the seed business is more 

 marked than the improvement during late years in the quality of the seeds themselves. Instead 

 of being grown by men who knew little about it, and merely grew a few by accident, or saved 

 such as were self-sown and self-cultivated, nowadays seeds are produced by those who have given 

 seed growing years of careful study, and from stock which has been developed by good culture 

 and judicious selection, to the highest attainable excellence. 



The past year, as well as its predecessors, has had its own share in this improvement, and 

 we can say truly that good as our seeds have always been, they have never been so good as now. 

 Briefly, and without boasting, we have in the following pages described our unexcelled facilities 

 for supplying you with the best of seeds. The quality of seeds is necessarily a matter of confi- 

 dence between buyer and seller, but if you will consider our long experience, and read what we 

 say about our business — the largest of its kind in this country — we think you must admit that no 

 goods can be purer or better than D. M. Ferry & Co's Seeds. 



Our Oreenfield Seed Farms, a view of which is given on page 7, are located 

 just outside of Detroit, extending one and one-fourth miles along the Grand River Road. They 

 are nearly level, but are well underdrained by tile laid two rods apart and three to four feet deep. 

 The soil is partly sandy and partly clay loam, and very rich, as we annually use two or three 

 thousand two-horse loads of stable manure, besides about four thousand barrels of blood, meat 

 and bone, which is composted with lime, plaster and sulphuric acid, so as to make an excellent 

 superphosphate. The labor is mostly performed by German women, we sometimes having as 

 many as 125 at work at once. Their manner of work is well shown in the cut on the next page. 



These farms are under the management of ooe of the most experienced and successful grow- 

 ers in America, and the statement has frequently been made by those fully competent to judge, 

 that while they are not the largest they are certainly the best cultivated and most productive 

 seed farms in the country, if not in the world. But to grow all of our seeds on a single tract 

 would be impracticable, for we require the product of nearly 800 acres of cucumbers, 650 acres of 

 beans, and a proportionate amount of corn, tomato, melon and other seeds; nor would it bo 

 desirable to grow all our seeds at one point, for not only is there the danger of mixing the varie- 

 ties, but often the soil and climate best suited to grow one sort is entirely unfitted to grow 

 another, so we make 



Contracts for Seed to be Oro\%'Il for us in localities ranging from Con- 

 necticut on the east to California on the west, and from Georgia to northern Michigan, besides 

 having special crops grown for us in Canada. England, France, Germany and Italy. These con- 



