Three Generations of Seed Growers 
Father, Sons and Grandson 
HOW OUR SEED BUSINESS BEGAN 
NOTICE 
The story below is old to our 291,463 old customers and we apologize to them for printing it again, but it 
is new to the thousands of new customers we hope to serve this season and it honestly tells just why our 
business grows and how very carefully it is conducted so we are printing it again for their benefit. We believe 
our old customers will enjoy reading it again also. 
1st Generation 
BEGINNING in the ages of the old Cradle and Rake when everything on the farm was done by hand 
and back work. Dad started farming with Mr. Greenlee, a pioneer farmer of old reliable Scotch parents. 
In those days land of course was cheap, but money was scarcer than hen's teeth and crops very poor on 
account of inferior seed and lack of proper cultivation, so you may know it was mighty hard sledding for a 
good many years; still I guess it was a good thing, for those lean seasons when it was hard to produce enough 
to pay the interest on the mortgage set Dad to thinking and figuring how to make both ends meet and ho 
concluded the best way out was to use extra care in selecting his seed, breeding it up to the highest standard 
possible and to spare no labor in preparing and cultivating the seed beds after planting. This worked out well 
and reaUy was the motive or incentive instilled in him in pioneer days, transplanted to us boys a few years 
later, which makes is possible to serve you today in a pleasing and particular manner. 
2nd Generation 
It was during those early days that John and Leonard were born and as we grew up under Dad's careful 
instructions we naturally followed his trend of thought, so at the age of 13 we both started working out on a 
small truck farm at the enormous wage of 40c a day. Well do I remember my first day: The boss started 
John picking peas and I weeding asparagus and honestly the rows looked a mile long. We stuck to it though 
even if it was hard work and I'll never forget if I live to be a hundred how proud we were when we took our 
first pay home to mother. She too, was proud of us, for while we worked hard and were dirty, she knew it 
was honest work and Dad needed the money and we were glad to help even though it was only a little. 
"AS YOU SOW SO SHALL YOU REAP" 
Well, this went on for a few years. Mother insisting we go to school winters and garden in the 
summer. As time passed we realized more fully the necessity of planting good seeds to produce good 
