Stokes Seed Farms Company, Moore s town. New Jersey " 



-5a»-i*H : _ ■ 



For Thirty-Six Years the Name of Stol^es Has Been 

 Known to American Seed-Buyers 



A SHORT HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS FROM ITS EARLY BEGINNIINGS ON SOUTH SECOND 

 STREET, PHILADELPHIA, TO ITS NEWLY ESTABLISHED PLANT IN NEW JERSEY 



The development of a seed business, as entered into by Walter P. Stokes 

 some thirty-six years ago, will, perhaps, be of interest to our customers who do 

 not know of the early beginnings. Back in 1879, Walter P. Stokes started 

 supplying the Philadelphia market-gardeners with their seeds. At that time 

 the store was located down at 524 South Second Street, directly opposite the 

 old market-house. Some two years after this, the partnership of Johnson 

 Stokes was established, and under this name Walter P. Stokes did business for 

 about twenty-five years. For several years the seedhouse was located at 1114 

 Market Street, and in later years was moved down to 217-219 Market Street, 

 at which point the firm built up a very large, general garden-seed business. In 

 1906 this partnership expired for personal reasons, and Walter P. Stokes con- 

 tinued in business under his own name at the 219 Market Street address. During 

 the next eight years he conducted a general seed business, catering to both the 

 home- and market-garden trade, and all this time building up a sound reputation 

 for quality seeds and honest dealing. The name, Stokes' Standard, was firmly 

 imbedded in the minds of a large number of loyal seed-buyers. During all this 

 time the Floracroft Garden trial-grounds, at Moorestown, were testing out 

 a large portion of the seed stocks. It became evident, however, that in order 

 to cater to the high-class market-garden trade more ground for experimental 

 work and stock-seed growing was necessary. Mr. Stokes had been at the helm 

 for some thirty-five years, and by this time wanted to be relieved of the massive 

 details which he had been carrying for so long, in order that he might have 

 more freedom to look after his other interests. In the fall of 1914, therefore 

 Walter P. Stokes turned over the active management of his business, which is being continued and developed now under 

 the corporate name of Stokes Seed Farms Company. Walter P. Stokes is a director in the new firm, and acts in an advisory 



capacity. The active man- 

 agement of the business, 

 however, has been turned 

 over to the new generation. 

 Of our new methods and 

 plans we have already writ- 

 ten in the introduction of 

 this catalogue. We fully real- 

 ize our responsibility to hold 

 up the old standard so 

 firmly established with seed- 

 buyers. After thirty - six 

 years of continuous and 

 steady development, we be- 

 lieve we are in a better posi- 

 tion than we ever have been 

 in before to supply the 

 American farmers and gar- 

 deners with the very 

 highest-quality seeds. 



Mr. Walter P. Stokes, the founder of the business. 

 Though now retired from active service, he is still 

 a director in the company. 



Francis C. Stokes, President 



Walter H. Savery, Vice-President 



