Gbe IRational IRurseryim 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
Copyrighted 1909 by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated. 
Vol. XVII. • ROCHESTER, N. Y., DECEMBER, 1909 No. 7 ^ 
VILMORIN-ANDRIEUX & COMPANY 
Paris, France 
Noted Seedsmen and Plant Breeders 
Probably no commercial institution in the world 
better illustrates the possible evolution of a business 
from empirical methods and purely business ends to a fine 
combination of science and industry, than does the firm of 
world-wide reputation, Messrs. Vilmorin-Andrieux & Com¬ 
pany, of Paris- This establishment is now managed and 
directed b y 
M. Philippe 
de Vilmorin, 
the great 
grandson of 
the founder. 
Many Ameri¬ 
can seedsmen 
have a pleas¬ 
ant recollec¬ 
tion of M. 
Henry de Vil¬ 
morin who 
wasa frequent 
visitor to the 
United States 
and Canada 
from 1875 to 
1895. His 
scientific abil¬ 
ity, his cul¬ 
ture and cour¬ 
tesy were personal qualities readily discernible. He it was 
who intensified the scientific trend of the business which 
his grandfather had begun, and in the present proprietor 
the technical and purely scientific features are constantly 
kept to the fore. 
The office and business headquarters of this noted firm 
are in Paris. Here the seeds are stored when ready for 
shipment and the general business is transacted. The trial 
grounds, however, which are to the plantsman more interest¬ 
ing than stores or seed rooms, are situated at Massy- 
Verrieres, only a few miles from the heart of Paris and in 
touch of its environs. This is one of the quaint little 
villages, to some extent a suburban residence site, but in 
the main occupied by real country folk. 
The establishment at Verrieres may be divided into 
three departments, as follows: 
First, are the testing grounds under the direct manage¬ 
ment of M. de Vilmorin. Here are all the new varieties 
either of home production or of foreign introduction. This 
is a very important division in that it passes upon the 
desirabi lity 
or fimdesira- 
bility of new 
varieties. 
THE 
^SELECTION 
[methods 
The pro¬ 
duction of 
first - class 
stock seeds, 
which is one 
of the first 
requisites in 
scientific seed 
growing, can 
only be ob¬ 
tained by rig¬ 
id, long con¬ 
tinued selec¬ 
tion of stand¬ 
ard specimens, in which the required characteristics are 
well enveloped. The stock having such an important 
bearing upon the future crop, it is not surprising that 
Vilmorin’s stock seeds should all be raised under their 
own supervision at their seed farms at Verrieres. The 
stocks are then sent to the numerous seed growers all over 
France in the regions best suited to them and the crops 
inspected repeatedly during the year by Vilmorin s spe¬ 
cial staff controlling the whole cultural operations. This 
comprises the Second Department. 
TRIAL GROUNDS 
The third leading branch at Verrieres is the seed test¬ 
ing. Despite all efforts to secure the proper execution of 
i 
% 
Seed House and Offices of Vilmorin-Andrieux et Cie, 
Verrieres, France 
