A BUSINESS CATALOGUE 



My New Seed Catalogue for 1901 is strictly a business 

 catalogue from the start. It has no fancy front cover, but in 

 its place a business illustration of the greatest tomato of 

 modern times, and so you wiH find it all the way through. 

 There is no single inch of this book that is not after that 

 nimble sixpence. There is no gardener, man, woman or 

 child, into whose hands it may fall, who cannot find some- 

 thing in it they ought to have in their garden, in this, the first 

 year of the Twentieth Century. Not for years have I given 

 so mucb time, thought and care to preparing my annual 

 Seed Book, and it is now up to you who are reading this to 

 pass the verdict, favorable or otherwise on the following 

 pages. Before going any further, however, I wish to say 

 that it is most gratifying to me to be able to announce that 

 the past year, 1900, was the most satisfactory year I have 

 had since 1893, and I must thank one and all of my friends 

 for favoring me with such a liberal share of their patronage. 



A brother seedsman and an active competitor, on ex- 

 amining my catalogue for 1900, last Winter, after 

 praising it highly and stating it was a very fine book, made 

 the remark: "But where is the blow?. With a 

 business like yours that pays annually to the U. S. Govern- 

 ment more than $30,000 for postage alone, that has half 

 a million customers at more than 47.000 different post offices, 

 etc., why do you not talk about it? Other seedsmen doing 

 25 per cent, of your annual business fill pages of their cata- 

 logues with the great things they have accomplished in the 

 seed business, while you simply pass it over as a subject 

 hardly worthy of notice." My answer to this was that 

 "Maule's Seeds have now and have had for years, an estab- 

 lished reputation among the intelligent gardeners of 

 America," and that I did not have to take half my book tell- 

 ing how much better I was than everybody else. This year, 

 however, I have decided to blow my own horn, on this 

 friend's advice. 



Now a word in regard to my 1901 Book. As stated at the 

 head of this page, it is strictly a business catalogue. I am 



glad to say I have been particularly fortunate this year in 

 harvesting large crops of many things that are short. Last 

 year I was very short of Onion seed, and had to advance 

 my prices, consequently this year I am glad to say the case 

 is reversed, and other seedsmen are short, while I have a 

 full supply, so have reduced my prices accordingly. I am 

 also well supplied with a number of other short articles, such 

 as Peas, Beans, Radishes, etc., etc. 



I offer this year for the first time at least a dozen new 

 varieties that are in every respect the best of their class. 

 They are so striking that I have no doubt in years to come 

 this 1901 catalogue of mine will be considered the Novelty 

 Catalogue of this generation. I have been in business 24 

 years, and it has never been my privilege at any time in my 

 career to offer my friends such a collection of brand new 

 things, a list that I am satisfied I will not be able to equal 

 or surpass for years to come, it ever. 



My trial grounds at Briar Crest are unquestionably the 

 most thorough in America; everything is tested and tested 

 well, so that I know just what I am talking about. There 

 may be larger trial grounds than Briar Crest, but I have 

 frequently discovered things there of vital importance that 

 have been overlooked by every other trial ground and experi- 

 ment station in the country. This has occurred not only 

 once, but many times, and there have been very few develop- 

 ments made in other trial grounds that have not been 

 discovered at Briar Crest. 



In conclusion I would say that the prospects for 1901 are 

 certainly encouraging to every tiller of the soil. For my 

 part, I look for a larger business than I have had in years, 

 and am prepared to meet all with full stocks, prompt service, 

 personal attention and the undivided interest of every one 

 of my employees. Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 

 New Year. I remain, Yours to command, 



Striking Features of my Business. 



Since 1*S9 Maule's Seeds have not been sold to dealers, but can only be 

 procured direct from headquarters in Philadelphia. I am not only the 

 original American house to adopt this method, but for many years no 

 other house dared to follow my footsteps. 



During the last five years I have paid the Philadelphia post office 

 5151,887.78 for postage alone, a record unsurpassed by any other mail | 

 order seed house in America. 



During the last twenty years I have paid in cash prizes for clubs and 

 premium vegetables more money than all the other seed firms in 

 America put together. 



My friends have made hundreds of thousands of dollars by following 

 my advice, and planting largely of new varieties I have introduced for 

 the first time. I believe more actual cash has been realized by my cus- 

 tomers with new things of my introduction than bv the customers of 

 any other two houses in the trade. 



Nothing really good, old or new, is omitted from the following pages. 

 No trial groundsin America are more up-to-date than those at Briar 

 Crest, and if any thing largely advertised by others is not found in this 

 catalogue, it has been omitted for cause. 



1 have distributed during the last ten years more than 2.500.000 pack- 

 ets of Maule's Seeds free for trial among my customers a record not 

 equalled by any other house. 



Maule's Seeds are always guaranteed to be as represented; should 

 they prove otherwise, the order will be refilled; but it must be distinctly 

 understood that I never guarantee a crop of any thing, as there are too 

 many contingencies liable to occur, over which 1 have no control. 



Finally, I challenge the seed trade of America to produce a list of 

 novelties of equal value to those to be found in this, my 1901 seed cata- 

 logue. Not the world over has any other firm, to my knowledge, ever 

 been able to offer such an array of Novelties for the first time in a 

 single year. 



SOMETHING WORTH HAVING. 



It has been my habit for a number of years past to give from 

 time to time in my Annual Catalogue, photographic views of Briar 

 Crest, my Seed Warehouses, etc.. etc. These photographs have 

 been taken at considerable expense, and have been pronounced the 

 best of the kind ever published in the seed trade. My customers 

 always seemed to highly appreciate these photographs, conse- 

 quently this year I have gotten up a little Souvenir, in the shape of 

 a Booklet, which I call "Forty Photographs of how I conduct the 

 Seed and Plant Business." 



These photographs are beautifully printed, and I am sure will be 

 appreciated by my old friends, especially as thev contain the first 

 photograph of myself 1 have ever published. Of course this Book- 

 let will not be sold under any consideration, but will be mailed free 

 to every customer requesting it when ordering. 



(Copyrighted. All Rights Reserved.) 



MAULE BUILDING, MARKET AND EIGHTEENTH STREETS. 



