Announcement 
S TEPHEN GIRARD said : “If I knew I should die to¬ 
morrow, I should plant a tree today.” 
Since 1840 Ellwanger & Barry have planted and dis¬ 
tributed many trees—this old elm, 75 years old, which 
rears its branches near the Ellwanger & Barry offices is the 
first of these—but more important, the Ellwanger & Barry 
business itself, the branches of which have grown and spread 
until the name of the firm has become known in every part of 
the world where trees can be grown. 
Mount Hope is the name of a gentle elevation on the out¬ 
skirts of Rochester, and it seems prophetic that Ellwanger & Barry 
should have chosen the place of this name for the commence¬ 
ment of their enterprise. 
The soil of Mount Hope, varying from the rich loams which 
have made Western New York farm land famous, to the sandy 
and sometimes gravelly type of soil in which day predominates, 
was ideal ground for experimental effort, but little did Ellwan¬ 
ger & Barry surmise the extent of their success-to-be. 
Ellwanger & Barry trees have been shipped to the four 
quarters of the globe, and are growing in China, Japan, New 
Zealand, Australia and Arabia. 
The Imperial Gardens at Tokio, Japan, are supplied with 
Ellwanger & Bairy trees. The United States Consul at Manila 
wrote of them: 
“The Imperial Gardens at Tokio, Japan, are the finest 
seen and said to be the most attractive in the East. 
These were, years ago, stocked from the great Nurseries 
of Ellwanger & Barry of the Flower City.” 
The success of this pioneer nursery establishment, as is the rule, gave rise to many competitors and was the 
cause of Rochester being called the Flower City instead of the Flour City, as it was originally termed. 
The born tree lover’s interest in the pomological and scientific phases of their calling, quickly prompted 
Ellwanger & Barry to devote quite a large part of their grounds to strictly experimental purposes. Variety test¬ 
ing in those days was even more of a question than it is at present. Planters were without experience and without 
counselors, so that definite and accurate knowledge which could only be gained through practical experiment was 
wanting, and they immediately set about supplying this great need by planting experimental orchards of apples, 
pears, plums, peaches, cherries and other fruits. These test grounds, maintained for over half a century at great 
expense, have enabled this firm to give accurate and reliable descriptions in their annual catalogues, thus making 
these publications valuable guides to orchardists, gardeners, and planters generally, and the catalogues have been 
edited with such care and accuracy that they are used in many of the Agricultural Schools as works of reference; 
besides their named collections of all kinds of fruits have been furnished to a large number of the Agricultural 
Schools for study and use in connection with college work. The great collections of fruit have also enabled the 
company to make extraordinary annual exhibitions at the Fairs in various States and at the biennial meetings 
of the American Pomological Society, at all of which they were awarded many valuable prizes. The chief edu¬ 
cational features of these exhibitions have been the Ellwanger & Barry exhibits of fruits. 
Lovers of trees or plants are welcome to visit the grounds of the Mount Hope Nurseries, where may be seen 
many handsome, well developed specimens of rare trees and shrubs. One of the most interesting features is a 
small group of the Sequoia, the giant redwood of California. These trees, in spite of the severe climate, have 
developed into large, interesting specimens, and they are the largest of their kind growing east of the Rocky 
Mountains. 
From the first Ellwanger & Barry have made the propagation of the rarer ornamentals a specialty, and in 
order to accomplish this they have employed labor which had been trained in European Schools. 
As a member of the American Peony Society the Company has taken an active part in studying the nomen¬ 
clature of this popular flower, and their collection is very choice and extensive. 
Ellwanger & Barry have always given much attention to the propagation of dwarf fruit trees, such as apples 
and pears, which are prized by fruit growers, first of all because of their early bearing qualities. Dwarf trees 
occupy little space and bear three or four years after being set out; some varieties bear the second year. This 
kind of tree is peculiarly suited to small grounds or gardens, city yards, etc. They are both useful and ornamental. 
It must be said that they are not intended for orchard planting. 
To inspect the nurseries proper where the staple ornamentals and standard varieties of fruits are grown in 
great quantities, it is necessary to go beyond the boundaries of Rochester and some distance from the home grounds, 
and here is evidence of the same careful and systematic management that is manifested in the home area. 
Ellwanger & Barry are and have been, first of all, a public service institution, and after that a business house. 
The thousands of fruit trees that they have propagated and caused to be planted everywhere, are now yielding 
crops of immense value. Unproductive and unprofitable regions have been made productive and highly re¬ 
munerative, and an industry has been established which is now adding greatly to the wealth and prosperity of 
the country. Their ornamental trees, shrubs and plants, for parks, public and private grounds and gardens* 
are being shipped and used everywhere for embellishment and beautification. 
