DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
5 
regard to his own work from a walk through these fertile fields, and a careful inspection of their 
culture and management. 
OTTTZ TEST 
W e have always endeavored to secure the highest quality both in the seeds we grow and 
those we purchase. 1 he latter class we have always carefully tested, not only as to vitality but 
as to quality of product as well, and a portion of our seed farms has been set apart as a test 
garden for this purpose. With the increase of our business, and from the necessity of importing 
many varieties on account of their demonstrated superiority when grown abroad, this depart¬ 
ment has yearly become of greater importance, until we have been obliged to establish a sep¬ 
arate test garden. 
Here are collected and grown under similar conditions, samples of all the different varieties, 
the different stocks of each variety and the scores of new sorts which are annually sent out. A 
careful record of their development is kept and the slightest difference in their value accurately 
noted. 
This garden has been placed under the charge of Prof. Will W. Tracy, who, as our eastern 
and Michigan friends will know, was formerly professor of horticulture and botany in the Mich¬ 
igan Agricultural College, and is not only an enthusiastic, but an able and thoroughly scientific 
horticulturist. Since leaving the college on account of ill health, he has been engaged in seed¬ 
growing in northern Michigan, so adds to the scientific training of the professor the skill and 
experience of the practical gardener; and his keen powers of observation and extended experi¬ 
ence enable him quickly to detect any admixture or tendency to degenerate exhibited by the 
samples under his care. Professor Tracy has every facility afforded him for the development to 
a high degree of perfection of every sample entrusted to his care, and we are enabled from his 
records and our own daily inspection of the growing plants to judge to a nicety of the relative 
values of the stocks offered by different growers. 
The garden is easily accessible, being located on Woodward Avenue, with horse cars passing 
every five minutes, and we think an examination of the perfect specimens of all the most 
improved varieties of vegetables and the new sorts not yet given to the general public, would 
amply repay any one interested in gardening for a visit to these grounds, and would convince 
them that the cuts and descriptions given in the following pages are not overdrawn. 
OTTIES 2STE3TA7" SIEHEZID 
On another page we give a representation of our new seed warehouse, one of the largest 
buildings used for mercantile or manufacturing purposes in the city of Detroit. It occupies one- 
half of the entire block bounded by Randolph, Croghan, Brush and Lafayette streets, and is of 
easy access to the depots, boats, post office, custom house, the telegraph, electrotyping, litho¬ 
graphing, printing and binding offices, as well as to our seed farms and test garden, with all of 
which it is often necessary for us to be in hourly communication. 
The building extends 300 feet on Brush street and 120 feet on both Croghan and Lafayette 
streets. It has a very handsome exterior of brick and stone, is four stories high with a deep, 
light, airy basement under the whole. The aggregate area of the several floors is between four 
and five acres. As an indication of the growth of our business we would state that if each year 
since we moved into our store on Woodward avenue—twenty years ago—we had added one of 
equal size, their combined floor surface would fall considerably short of that of our new building, 
to say nothing of the capacity of our large store houses on the seed farms. 
We have devoted two pages to interior views of the building. The first shows our mail 
order department, a room 120 by 140 feet, in which we execute every order we receive which is 
accompanied by a remittance. The second is a view of a room of the same size devoted to put¬ 
ting up seeds in papers and assorting boxes for our wholesale trade with merchants. 
Our wholesale bulk seed and retail departments are located on the ground floor, and the 
offices in the second story fronting on Brush and Croghan streets. 
The building is lighted throughout by electric lights and heated entirely by steam, both of 
which are supplied from our box factory which is located directly opposite the Brush street front. 
