James J. H. Gregory & Son’s Retail Catalogue for 1894. 
To our'Tatrons. 
PLEASE NOTICE. Our customers will please notice that our prices are by mail postpaid by us, or by express or freight at purchaser’s expense; and 
that seeds sent by express or freight are 8 cents l<5ss per pound than when sent by mail. Some may not be aware of the fact (this does not apply to 
goods sent by express) that the freight on one hundred pounds of merchandise does not, as a rule, cost moie than for ten pounds or less. When not 
ordered by mail, it is desirable that customers should indicate whether they wish their seed sent by express or freight; when no preference is given, wc 
will use our best judgment in their behalf. We make no charge for boxes or packing. 4 ®=* When comparing our rates with other dealers, please re¬ 
member, — 1st, That we prepay postage on mail matter, and the postage is included in the price; 2d, That all orders for seed, to the amount of five dollars 
and upwards , are subject to a cash discount, as stated at bottom of page; 3d, That we grow a far larger proportion of the varieties’ of the seed we sell than 
is common with other dealers; 4th, Our three warrants. 
A Word with Our Patrons. — This has been an extra hard year for us 
farmers, but it is a comforting thought that we produce more of the eat¬ 
ables and drinkables and wearables (either directly or in raw material 
that can be exchanged for the products of the butcher, the baker, or the 
groceryman)than any other class of workers; and, while tens of thousands 
can find nothing to do, we can always hire ourselves to some profitable 
employment, calling no man master. While the whims of Fashion may 
annihilate industries on which thousands have depended for their daily 
bread, she can never close the mouths of the eater or the drinker. They 
will always be open, clamoring for us to fill them, while the Great Father of 
us all can always be relied upon to send in their season the seedtime and 
the harvest. Let us, then, my brother farmers, shut the door on discour¬ 
agement, cherish a great respect for our calling, keep up a high courage, 
and during the long winter evenings devote our time to studying carefully 
all the economics bearing on the production and the marketing of out¬ 
crops. 
The Seed Crop. — There has been an unexampled failure of almost 
every variety of seed in Europe, owing to a terrible drought so severe 
that peas that had been planted six weeks were found not to have 
sprouted. This will affect the price of a few varieties offered in our cata¬ 
logue, more especially radish seed. Of home-grown seed the crops have gen¬ 
erally averaged as usual, with the exception of the varieties of wrinkled 
peas, some of which have proved nearly a failure, some varieties of beans 
and carrot and beet seed. 
A Few Presents in the Agricultural Line. — We will continue our 
practice of the four past years, of giying to our customers a year’s sub¬ 
scription to one hundred agricultural papers and magazines. We trust 
they enjoy the receiving of them as much as we enjoy the giving of them, 
for we like for our farmer friends to get some advantage from what sur¬ 
plus funds we may have to spare. We will distribute these by assigning- 
one to every hundredth seed order received, until all are disposed of, with 
no reference to the size of the order; for the papers we give more from 
kindly feeling towards our customers than as premiums. A full list of all 
the agricultural works published in the United States and Canada will be 
sent to select from. We cannot spare space sufficient to give each year 
the names of those to whom they were sent the year previous, but any 
one interested in such matters can see the list at our seed-house. 
We Thank Our Friends for very acceptable presents we are con¬ 
stantly receiving from them of vegetable seed that are new or choice in 
their localities. We plant them on our experimental grounds to compare 
them with standard varieties, and will be happy briefly to report results, 
when desired to do so. 
Every season we have the various items in our catalogue carefully gone 
L over with the view of making our prices as reasonable as possible, and we 
think our customers will find, bearing in mind the cash discounts we offer, 
that our rates average as low as those of standard seedsmen of good re¬ 
pute, while we present the advantage,of raising a much larger proportion of 
the seed we offer for sale than dealers in general; but few raise any of the 
3 seed they sell, seed raising and seed selling at retail being usually sepa- 
• rate employments. 
j Free Seed. — With average orders for years we have practised drop¬ 
ping in an extra package of some nice variety, very likely a novelty, which 
we would be pleased to have our Customers test and report on. 
Testing Seed. — Before sending out, nearly two thousand tests of the 
vitality of both vegetable and flower seed are made every season, and 
0 thousands of dollars’ worth thrown away, all of which is more or less 
good, but not up to the standard for honest seed. 
Cabbage Seed for the South. — Our customers in the South will find 
us always ready to fill their summer orders as early as July. Their 
special need for fresh seed we shall always bear in mind. Our cabbage 
M seed, raised wholly from the centre shoots, and grown from choice, solid, 
m carefully selected heads, are meeting with great acceptance there. 
'M 4£@ = ' Advantages of Buying Seed Directly from the Grower. — The 
M “testing” of seed in greenhouses or by various indoor means of which 
-S much is written nowadays merely settles the question as to whether or 
not it will vegetate, but if the seed dealer grows his own seed, he is able 
^ to affirm what he himself knows, not only of its vegetating power, but also 
® of its freshness and purity. Our seed-growing facilities now include four 
farms at Howes’ Station, Eastern Division, Boston & Maine Railroad, 
^ besides several scattered tracts of land, located in three towns, carried on 
directly under our own supervision. All roots, bulbs, etc., intended for 
seed purposes, are selected with the utmost care. 
Some choice varieties we import from England, France, and Germany, 
some of which cannot be raised in this latitude; others we have grown for 
us by careful men, whom we supply with stock seed of our own raising. 
For nearly half a century we have made it our labor and our anxiety 
to send out none but just such seed as we would be willing to plant ourselves, 
and the thousands of cheering letters that we open are very pleasant 
testimony to the success of our undertaking. 
The Three Warrants. — All seeds sent out fl’om our establishment are 
always sold under three warrants; viz., 1st, That our seed shall be what 
it purports to be; so far as that we hold ourselves ready to refill the order 
anew, gratis, in other seed, should it prove defective in any respect. 
4@rWhat is there to gain by selling poor seed after having made this 
warrant? 2d, That all money sent for seeds over one dollar shall reach 
us if sent by Postoffice Order on Marblehead, Express Money Order, 
Registered Letter, Draft, or Cashier’s Check. Sums of one dollar and 
under may be sent at our risk. Postal notes being payable to bearer are 
at the risk of the party sending them. 3d, That the seed ordered shall 
reach every one of our customers. Thus we warrant everything but the 
crop, and make the purchase of seed the safest investment possible, instead 
of being what it has so often proved to be,— very unreliable and vexing. 
Payment for Seed. — Cash (as above) must accompany all orders. When 
it is necessary to enclose postage stamps, be sure not to moisten them in the 
least; the higher denominations, not above fifteen cents in value, pre¬ 
ferred. Money orders, when of the value of one dollar and upwards, may 
be purchased at our expense, the cost being deducted from the amount re¬ 
mitted. Occasionally a customer remits more or less than sufficienttopay 
for the seed ordered. In the former case, the balance will be returned to 
his address; in the latter, the order will be filled out as far as the money 
goes. When necessary to send specie, wrap it securely in a bit of paper, 
to prevent it from getting loose and cutting through the envelope. Let us 
advise our friends, before ordering their seeds sent by express, to figure 
carefully and see if it would not be much cheaper for them (as is almost 
invariably the case with small parcels) to have them sent by mail. We 
would advise our customers not to order their seed C. O. D., particularly 
when the orders are small, as we have to add the cost of collection and re¬ 
turn charges to the cost of the seed to make ourselves whole. 
How to Obviate All the Risk, Expense, and Trouble of Sending 
Money. — We have arranged with the American Express Company to 
receive orders for anything in our catalogue at any place where that 
Company has an agency. They will advance us the cost of all goods up to 
$5, and collect it of you. For bills of over $5 an Express Money Order 
can be sent with order for goods. 
4QP- Be careful to write your Address in f ull, giving your Name, 
Postoffice, Coxmty, and State. 
The New Postage Law. — Thanks to the persistent efforts of the seeds¬ 
men’s association, Congress has reduced the postage on seeds one half; 
viz., to one cent for two ounces instead of one cent an ounce as formerly. 
Our customers will find that all this will go directly into their pockets, as 
the price-list will show. We prepay postage on seed ordered by mail at 
list rates. If a larger lot than four pounds is wanted, it may be divided 
into four-pound lots. This law, in effect, brings our seed establishment to 
every man's door. 
4®= Now and then, though rarely, there happens an instance of a mail 
package being lost in transit. When writing of any delay in time of pack¬ 
age reaching you, always lepeat your first order.^gjgr 
DISCOUNTS TO MARKET GARDENERS AND OTHERS. 
4QP" We believe we are the only seedsmen who give a cash discount 
on orders. When comparing our prices with other dealers , 
don't forget to deduct the discount. 
4SP We challenge competition (with first-class seedsmen) in pricing large orders, 
Any one sending $1 may order $1.25 of packages of vegetable seed. 
This applies to orders for packages only and not to weights and meas¬ 
ures. Mixed orders will be allowed the discounts as given below. 
Five per cent discount allowed on all orders for seed (except onion 
seeds of our own growing, and except where otherwise noted), when 
amounting to $5 and upwards, whether the order be for packages, ounces, 
pounds, or quarts, either separately or combined; eight per cent when the 
amount ordered is as high as $10 and under $25; ten per cent when $25 
and under $40; and twelve and a half on orders to the amount of $40 and 
upwards. For special net rates on Onion seed in quantity, see p. 26; for 
discounts on Flower seeds, see p. 61. Terms to Dealers, Clubs, and 
Large Market Gardeners on Application. We do not care to 
SEND OUT SEED TO BE SOLD ON COMMISSION. 
JAMES J. H. GREGORY & SON, 
Marblehead, Mass. 
( 1 ) 
