The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1896, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VOL. IV. 
LITHOGRAPHY’S CENTENNIAL. 
Nurserymen have come to be greatly dependent upon the 
art of the lithographer. It may not be known generally that 
this year marks the centennial of the discovery of lithography 
which is commonly ascribed to Alois Senefelder who in 1796 
first practiced the art in the printing of music in Munich 
where he was an actor. The anniversary was appropriately 
observed by a congress of lithographers 6f the United States 
in Philadelphia, at which papers were read and there was an 
art exhibition and a banquet. Louis Prang, of Boston, gave 
an interesting account of Senefelder’s discovery and applica¬ 
tion of the art. 
Lithography was first introduced in this country in Phila¬ 
delphia in July, 1819. Since then it has made rapid strides 
and has become one of the most important of the arts. 
The high degree of perfection to which the process of litho¬ 
graphing has been developed within recent years has been 
extremely beneficial to nurserymen, particularly as regards fine 
color work in which the greatest success has been achieved by 
the Rochester Lithographing Company, of Rochester, N. Y. 
This company has become widely known and deservedly 
famous as manufacturers of colored plates of fruits and flow¬ 
ers, both hand painted and lithographed. 
This firm is known as pioneer fruit plate makers in the 
United States, and they still permanently maintain the lead. 
New varieties of fruits and flowers are continually being 
designed from nature, hence their handsomely colored plates 
are strictly up to date and their stock is the largest in the world, 
both as to quantity and variety, and every plate either hand 
painted or lithographed is guaranteed strictly first-class. 
Originality coupled with artistic work is their motto ; and they 
are everywhere noted for promptness and reliability in meeting 
every demand. 
They also operate a Nursery Supply Department for furnish¬ 
ing printed matter such as horticultural books, catalogues, 
circulars, blank forms and other supplies required by nursery¬ 
men. Catalogues of these supplies are mailed to any address 
on application and orders are executed in the most expedi¬ 
tious and satisfactory manner in all cases. 
The business was founded here many years ago, the present 
company being incorporated in 1890. Our representative 
visited their building, No. 176 N. Water street, a few days since 
and found a most complete equipment with the latest improved 
machinery and all modern appliances, employment being given 
to many skilled and expert hands. The art of lithography, in 
which the colors of any object are analyzed and accurately 
reproduced from stone is indeed wonderful. 
Seedsmen's catalogues and inserts are also a specialty with 
the Rochester Lithographing Company. Their fruit and 
flower work is in large and influential demand throughout the 
United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Great Britain, 
while their general commercial patronage extends to all parts 
No. 9. 
of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and 
Massachusetts. 
The officers of the company are as follows : President, D. 
A. MacMillan ; secretary and treasurer, M. B. Fox. President 
MacMillan, a former resident of New York, is superintendent 
of the factory. He is an expert, being a practical lithographer, 
while Mr. Fox has the general management of the business and 
is promoting its interests with energy, discrimination and 
brilliant success. 
SEED DISTRIBUTION, i8 9 6-’ 9 7. 
The act making appropriations for the Department of Agri¬ 
culture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897, appropriates 
$150,000 for the purchase and distribution of valuable seeds. 
As interpreted by the attorney-general, in an opinion addressed 
to the secretary of agriculture, dated June 30, 1896, this act 
requires that the secretary of agriculture shall purchase “ seeds 
prepared for distribution,” to the amount of $130,000 and no 
less. He is authorized to purchase these seeds at public or 
private sale, as may be most advantageous for the government. 
The same act changes the statute which defines the kind of 
seed to be purchased so that it now reads as follows : 
Section 527.—That the purchase and distribution of vegeta¬ 
ble, field and flower seeds, plants, shrubs, vines, bulbs, and 
cuttings, shall be of the freshest and best obtainable varieties 
and adapted to general cultivation. 
It will be seen, therefore, that only $20,000 is available for 
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897, for the purchase of trees, 
shrubs, vines, cuttings, and plants, and for all the contingent 
expenses of distribution by the department of agriculture. In 
fact the whole of this amount will be required for the contingent 
expenses, so that there will be no funds available for anything 
else. 
The $130,000 was so divided as to allow an equal amount 
($288.89) t0 each congressional district and to each senator and 
territorial delegate in congress. The amount of money allotted 
to each section was, therefore, $288.89 multiplied by its con¬ 
gressional representation. 
The lists of flower, field and vegetable seeds adapted to these 
sections were prepared in conference with the officers of 
experiment stations and other experts in the respective sec¬ 
tions, and a circular explaining the requirements of the depart¬ 
ment was sent to all the seed houses in the country. 
The awards were : For the South Atlantic states, T. W. 
Wood & Sons, Richmond, Va ; Southwestern states, Ullathorne 
Seed Co., Memphis, Tenn.; Middle Western states, John A. 
Salzer Seed Co., LaCrosse, Wis.; Eastern states, W. Atlee 
Burpee, Philadelphia, Pa ; Northwestern states, L. L. May & 
Co., St. Paul, Minn. 
Proposals from the Pacific coast seedsmen having failed to 
arrive in time for consideration, the award for the Pacific and 
Rocky Mountain section has been necessarily delayed. It is 
not possible to give exactly the total number of packets of 
ROCHESTER, OCTOBER, N. Y., 1896. 
