(Bur danders' Club. 
Dundee, Kane Co., Ill, 
June 20, 1881. 
Mr, Isaac F. Tillinghast, 
I have wanted to 
write you for some time saving how well 
pleased I am with the seeds you sold me 
this spring. I have read y mr Manual 
through several times, and also the copy of 
Seed-Time and Harvest, in which on page 
8. under the head of New Vegetables, you 
ask to have sent to you anything not gener¬ 
ally known, or what is new to the trade. 
I have a Pole Bean of which I have never 
seen a description in any seed catalogue, 
which may come under the head of new 
vegetables. I came across it in Whitlev Co. 
Indiana, some twelve years ago, among some 
Germans, who called it the “Crowder Bean” 
on account of the beans growing tight 
against one another in the pod. It makes a 
good string or snap-short as well as a shell 
bean. It is much earlier than the Horticul¬ 
tural and a more profuse bearer under the 
same conditions. 
I have only a small garden this year and 
hope to make much of little. When the 
snow thawed we were as the saying is ‘hin¬ 
der the flood.” Lucky for us it did not rain 
at the time, or ruin, bleak and bare, would 
have been our lot to-day. After the snow 
passed off, which was the latter part of 
April, it had much the appearance that we 
should have an early spring. It came off so 
warm and the soil dried up so fast. This 
lasted for three weeks, and we have since 
had many showers of rain and cooler weath¬ 
er. The tender plants are having a serious 
time of it. Unless we have warmer days 
soon the corn crop will be a failure this 
year. Oats, Potatoes. Peas and other early 
truck are looking well. I for one would 
give my vote in favor of Seed-Time and 
Harvest coming once a month; I presume 
in the near future means 1882. I do not 
know whether I am entitled to it from 
what I have purchased of you or not, 
and if not will send you the cash so 
that I may have the pleasure of reading it. 
Have you any of the back numbers of last 
vear and the Jan. number of this year? 
I have had much difficulty in growing 
plants from seed of others’ saving, and many 
things I have been forced to raise myself 
in self-protection against loss. Sometimes 
I have seriously thought of raising some 
kinds of seed for sale, and if I did, one of 
the things I meant to do was, on every 
package mark the year that the seed was 
raised, and when, by trial, I found they 
would not grow under ordinary tests, to 
bum them and return the ashes to the soil 
as a fertilizer and thus keep up the stand¬ 
ard of quality of seeds. Suppose every 
man who is in the seed business would 
carry that out, do you not think that the 
consumer would use more of the produc¬ 
tion than is to-day the case? I am of that 
opinion. I can say that I have no fault to 
And with your seeds, and I will give you 
my patronage as long as I use seed in the 
garden. I would rather pay more and 
have good seed, than take much that is 
sold, as a gift. Did you dispose of all your 
stock of Nicollet Big Gem Peas? I did think 
of getting some once, but thought they 
might be all gone before my application 
reached you. Hoping you may find time 
to write in reply, and forgive my wordy 
letter, I will now close. Truly yours, 
W. L. Robbins. 
Answer. We feel thankful to you for 
the interest you manifest in our undertak¬ 
ing and the kind words you express for our 
success. Our seed business was, we may 
say, founded without capital, and whatever 
of popularity and notoriety our products 
have attained has been solely from their 
own merits, as they have had to work their 
own way into public favor. 
The Beans were duly received and we 
were pleased with their appearance never 
having seen them before. It was so late 
however that we shall not be able to ripen 
them this season. 
We cannot supply back numbers of Seed- 
Time and Harvest. We highly approve 
of your idea in regard to testing seeds. 
We spend much time in testing our own 
stocks before sending them out, and 
sometimes And perfectly new seeds unreli¬ 
able, either from not being properly matur¬ 
ed, or cured, and believe that if all who 
disperse seeds would exercise a little more 
care on this point we would hear fewer 
complaints from purchasers. We have a 
fresh supply of Big Gem Peas. 
Wheeler, Porter Co., Ind., 
Aug., 10, 1881. 
I. !\ Tillinghast; 
In looking over Seed- 
Time and Harvest just received, I saw 
your solicitation to address parties whose 
advertisements are published therein. I 
am on the peint of purchasing a Heating 
Apparatus for new greenhouse to be erected 
this fall, and have accordingly written to 
John Dick Jr. and T. O. Weathered giving 
your Magazine credit therefor, feeling an 
