JAMES J. H. GREGORY’S 
Witli the return of another season, I again present my friends 
with my annual seed catalogue.- In the Hortli, the past season 
has been a remarkable one in several respects ; opening with 
an exceptionally cold and backward Spring, July and August 
were two degrees below the average temperature, and nearly 
all late crops were behindhand,—particularly those of the vine 
family,—yet the growing season was so prolonged beyond the 
memory of men in middle age, and in the end to the happy 
disappointment of all of us, even the crops that require all that 
the most favorable season can do for them, matured fully up to 
the quality of average years. The only marked exception to a 
year of plenty in seed is that of the crop of onion seed. This 
lias generally failed to yield the crop that, until the close of 
the season, had been anticipated. 
1 trust that another year’s experience with seed from my 
establishment has given results that were very uniformly sat¬ 
isfactory. There happens occasionally an instance, when I 
have complaint against the vitality of seed, in which the seed 
was grown by myself that season and thousands of customers 
were supplied from the same lot to their satisfaction. Such 
cases are very obviously of the class where the cause of the 
trouble was owing to the season, or soil, or manner of planting; 
in short to some cause utterly beyond my control and conse¬ 
quent responsibility. It is my labor and my anxiety to send 
out none but the very best of seed, just such seed as I would 
he willing to plant myself, and the thousands of cheering 
letters that I open are very pleasant testimony to the success 
of my undertaking. With all care that it is possible to exer¬ 
cise, mistakes will occasionally, though very rarely, occur ; 
these my customers will always find me ready to rectify in 
accordance with the promise of my three warrants. 
On my several farms I have grown this season over seventy 
acres of seed and seed stock, embracing over one hundred and 
fifty varieties. Some may infer that in growing so many kinds 
there is danger of admixture ; but this is a matter I specially 
guard against, by completely isolating every variety of the 
same kind. My farms are located somewhat like the angles of 
aright-angled triangle, and are about one mile distant from 
each other; in addition to this the different lots of three of 
them are very much scattered. Of all these advantages I 
avail myself to produce complete isolation. All roots, bulbs, 
&c., intended for seed purposes, are selected with the utmost 
care. 
Advantages of buying Seed directly from the 
Grower. But few seed dealers grow any of the seed they 
sell,—the business of seed growing and that of seed selling- 
being almost entirely distinct. Hence, as a general rule, seed 
dealers know only what is told them of the careful selection of 
seed stock and of the freshness and purity of their seed ; now 
if the person of whom they purchase should be careless, 
ignorant, or dishonest, you who plant have to suffer, as the 
dealer can only reaffirm what is told him. On the other hand, 
if the seed dealer grows his own seed, he is able to affirm 
what lie himself knows as to its freshness and purity ; and thus 
you who purchase have the invaluable guarantee from his 
own knowledge. It is that I may be able to give this guarantee 
that I raise so many varieties , some of them at double the cost at 
which 1 could purchase them. The public will thus understand 
how greatly it is for their advantage to sustain me in this 
effort to combine the business of seed grower and seed dealer. 
From what I have said let it not be inferred that I raise all 
the varieties of seed that I sell; I do not; many choice varie¬ 
ties I import from England, France and Germany, some of 
which cannot be raised in this latitude, others I purchase of 
©liable dealers, or have grown for me by careful men, whom I 
supply with stock seed of my own raising. My plan is to 
increase my varieties, until I grow all the kinds of seed that 
can be grown in my latitude. 
The Three Warrants. I warrant, 1st, That my seed 
shall be what it purports to be in kind and quality ; and I hold 
myself ready to refill the order anew, gratis, in other seed, 
should it prove defective in either respect. 2d, That all money 
sent for seed shall reach me, with the single proviso, that all 
sums to the amount of one dollar and upwards be sent in the 
form of a Post Office Order on Marblehead, Kegistered Letter, 
Draft, or Cashier’s Checks; Money Orders, when of not less than 
one dollar in value, to be purchased at my expense. 3d, That the 
seed ordered shall reach every one of my customers. Thus I 
take all the risks of the business upon myself, and make the 
purchase of seed the safest investment possible, instead of beings 
what it has so often proved to farmers and gardeners, very 
unreliable and very vexing. In attempting thus to revolution¬ 
ize the business, I am aware that I shall make some losses, but 
it will be a great satisfaction to me to know that every feeling 
of doubt is removed from the minds of my customers ; and I 
know that they will reciprocate in this matter, and feel it to 
be for their interest to sustain me in this enterprise. 
How Seed and Letters are Lost. I sometimes receive 
letters of which the following from College Springs, Iowa, is a 
sample, showing that when letters from my customers are not 
responded to by me the matter may need a little local investi¬ 
gation. a My patience has been sorely tried this spring, 
I enclosed money March 9, ordering seed, and about a month 
ago wrote again to let you know I had had no response. This 
week our mail carrier was arrested, and in his pocket were 
found a great many opened letters and among them my first 
letter to you.” The public have but a faint idea of the great 
number of letters which in course of a single year are stolen from 
large firms. Two or three years ago, through the representa¬ 
tive of my district, I laid before the Post Master General a 
list of eight hundred letters addressed to me, nearly all of them 
containing money, all of which had been stolen in the mails 
within a few months. If any of my correspondents have rea¬ 
son to believe their letters have been stolen on the way, let 
them address me as John O. Hand, and the thief may for a 
while at least, be thrown off his track. . 
Sometimes seed packages are broken open on the route from 
accident or careless handling (though I use in my establish¬ 
ment only the very strongest Manila paper manufactured in 
the country), at times they are stolen, at times eaten into by 
mice ; I shall always be happy to make all losses c/ood , by 
refilling the order gratis, and my customers will bear me 
witness that I uniformly do so, though at a loss to me of 
many hundred dollars annually. When writing that seed have 
failed to reach you , always renew your first order , or order the 
same value in other kinds of seed. 
.fir 3 Be Careful to write your address in full, 
giving the State as well as the town, for a town of the same 
name will oftentimes be found in a dozen States. Scores of my 
friends everv season forget to sign their name to their letters, 
rendering it impossible for me to respond to them. Please be 
particular in this matter , and write the name very distinctly. 
The Postage Law. The law enables me to send seed to 
the amount of four pounds or less in one parcel to any part 
of the Lnited States, by prepaying postage at the rate of one 
cent for every two ounces and fraction of two ounces. It 
matters not how many varieties are sent in the package, pro¬ 
vided the weight of the entire lot does not exceed four pounds. 
If a larger lot is wanted, it may be divided into lots of four 
