2 
D. M. FERRY & CO’S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
ADVERTISEMENT 
One needs but little experience to learn that if he would have the best vegetables and most beauti¬ 
ful flowers, he must use the best of seeds. We believe we possess, to a greater degree than has ever 
before been possible to any seedsman, the three elements which are necessary to the production of the 
best seeds. First, long experience in doing a great volume of business; second, adequate equipment; 
third, sufficient capital. 
EXPERIENCE. Annually for fifty-five years we have done a great deal of business. Our experi¬ 
ence is long but it is also great because each season we operate on a very large scale. The data to be 
gathered and the tendencies to be discovered in a thousand cases are more valuable than the informa¬ 
tion afforded by a hundred. Therefore, the experience we acquire each year is equalled by none of our 
competitors. When you consider, also, that we have been at it for more than half a century you will 
agree that we are entitled to be considered authority on matters pertaining to the production and han¬ 
dling of choicest thoroughbred seeds. 
ORGANIZATION. We are compelled to have a large organization. This means we can and do 
specialize. Now specialization is a necessity in any undertaking if the best results are to be obtained. 
It one is to be an expert in any line he must have a natural liking or aptitude for his work and he must 
devote his whole time and thought to it. In a smaller seed house one may be familiar with more kinds 
of work: indeed, he may have a general knowledge of everything that pertains to the business but in 
the nature of things he cannot''know as much about any one thing as if he gave that thing his whole 
attention. He has to spend too much thought upon what he regards as drudgery and too little upon 
what he really can do well and would like to learn to do better. Iu a large organization a man tends to 
find his proper work, and having found it he can become its master. Hence at every point our business 
is directed by men better fitted both by nature and training for their duties than would be possible if 
each were a jack-of-all-trades. Specialization is furthered also by leaving out of our scope the entire 
range of field seeds, potatoes, insecticides, etc., and confining ourselves solely to flower and vegetable 
seeds. These it is our business to know and we bring to the study every help that science can suggest. 
EQUIPMENT. The demands of our increasing business made it necessary last summer to add two 
stories to our Warehouse “A” so that its present floor surface is over 325,000 square feet. Our warehouse 
facilities in Detroit, Charlevoix, Harbor Beach and at Oakview have a combined capacity of more than 
Soo,ooo square feet, which is equivalent to more than eighteen acres of floor surface, all under cover 
and available for storing and handling our seeds. 
EXPERIMENTAL GARDENS. Our experimental gardens comprise ten acres in Detroit and as 
many acres of our Oakview Stock Seed Farm as w r e find the needs of our business require. Last year 
our total area devoted to trials alone was more than thirty acres. The size and quality of our equip¬ 
ment make our facilities the best in America, if not in the world. (See views on pages 7 and 9) 
OAKVIEW STOCK SEED FARM. At our Oakview Stock Seed Farm we have 570 acres chiefly 
devoted to the development of thoroughbred stock seeds. Here are selected every season the choicest 
flowers and vegetables. No pains are spared to save only the best. At Oakview, too, are produced 
either by deliberate cross-breeding or by accident many of the new varieties which, after having been 
fixed in their characteristics by years of selection and proved to be of greater value than old established 
kinds already on the market, are given to the world as novelties. We are proud to say these introduc¬ 
tions have, as a rule, remained long in popular favor. 
THE REASON WHY. Since no other seedsman possesses as great capital, as adequate facilities 
or as long experience, we are justified in saying no other seedsman can compete with us in the quality 
of seeds we sell any more than we can sell our thoroughbred stocks for the prices charged for ordinary 
seeds. These are fundamentally the reasons why our seeds are “standard.” We have the knowledge, 
the equipment and the capital necessary to make them the world’s best. Can you afford to plant any 
other? 
Crego Giant Asters 
Considered by many as decidedly the best asters yet introduced. Flowers of largest size, with very 
long petals which are very attractively curled and twisted. The petals grow so thickly that the flowers 
show nothing of the ragged appearance seen in some of this class of asters. Plant of branching habit 
and very vigorous growth. Flowers borne on long, strong stems, very desirable for cutting. (See 
colored plate opposite') 
Crego Giant Pink, beautiful soft shell pink. Pkt. 20 c. Crego Giant White, glistening pure white. Pkt. 20 c. 
Spencer Sweet Peas 
The Spencer types are of exceptionally large size, the standards and wings waved or frilled and 
the general effect remarkably graceful and attractive. Undoubtedly the finest sweet peas yet developed 
are found in this class. All Spencers are decidedly shy seeders, hence the price will doubtless always 
be considerably higher than for the older types Our grandifiora Blanche Ferry variety which we 
introduced in *889 was the first sweet pea novelty ever offered by an American seedsman and is today 
in the minds of the public the typical sweet pea. We doubt if any svreet pea ever introduced is finer 
than our new Blanche Ferry Spencer. We offer on page 87 what we consider to be the best varieties 
yet introduced and we recommend them unreservedly. (See colored plate, page 89) 
