mall 
Uns 
WEST CHICAGO 
ILLINOIS 
PIDPINY WIBAURS OLE SialYiKCle 
N an industry where hundred-year-old firms are 
common (several European seed companies have 
been operating over 200 years) a golden anniver- 
sary is not highly significant. But we are fifty years 
old only once! And what an opportunity it affords 
to look back a few years and also to think about 
the future! 
The story of the Ball Company is largely the personal history 
of George J. Ball, father of the present generation of Ball brothers. 
Born in 1874 near Lebanon (Warren Co.), Ohio, he had a con- 
siderable family background in agriculture. 
Here is a family story told about the immigration of George J. 
Ball’s grandfather to the United States from Germany. 
“Fle was a native of Mannheim, Germany and had six sons. In 
order to keep these boys well occupied he leased a plot of ground 
in the country to grow vegetables. 
“When harvest time came the government authorities proposed 
to levy a tax on his produce. He refused, and since he was a 
six-footer and of powerful build, so the story goes, the officers let 
things ‘ride along’ for a time. 
“However, they did eventually lay down the law to him. So, 
resentfully, he paid the tax, determining then and there to come 
to America, ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’.” 
Working in Galloway’s Greenhouse near Cincinnati at the age 
of 14, George Ball was attracted to the flower business early in 
life. Both before and after a tour of military service which took 
him around the world, his life was devoted to horticulture. In the 
service he took part in the Cuban campaign under Teddy Roose- 
velt, for whom he always had great admiration, and a year after 
completion of this campaign he re-enlisted for a term of duty 
which included the 
Philippine campaign. 
In the early years he 
kept a diary—acquir- 
ing this habit during 
his military tour when 
‘long sea voyages and 
drawn-out military 
campaigns allowed 
time for such things. 
It seems fitting to 
quote some entries 
from this diary which 
give a word picture of 
those early days. 
Diary from which the accompanying quo- 
tations were selected. 
FIRST, SOME NOTES ON GREENHOUSE OPERATIONS... . 
(At this time he was foreman of Mr. Brod’s greenhouse at Niles 
Center, Illinois.) 
“April 6, 1903. Day foreman leaves today because of poor pay. 
He received $38.00 per month. The teamsters will probably strike 
for $45.00 instead of $40.00. The propagator got a lot of carnation 
cuttings mixed up. There is surely a lot of worrying and thinking 
to keep a place of this kind going. 
(Editor’s Note: We know a number of growers who might say 
things haven’t changed much!) 
“June 21, 1903. Rode up to Poehlman’s today, visiting both 
places. The range going up at the new place is no doubt the most 
modern one about Chicago. Putting up separated houses seems to 
At Poehlman’s about the turn of the century. Geo. J. Ball at 
extreme left. Note hand cranked soil grinder. 
be out of favor among modern builders, all the new houses here 
being together. Detached houses occupy too much space and re- 
quire too many walls, which is no small item in modern building.’ 
A HISTORICAL ENTRY .... 
“Dec. 30, 1903. Started putting in carnation cuttings today. 
Was called to the city this P.M. and got down in time to see 
wagon load after wagon load of burned women and children 
carried away from the New Iroquois Theatre that caught fire about 
3:30 during a matinee performance. Last night the estimated 
dead was over 700. It was a gruesome sight to see on the streets 
of a great city.” 
DESCRIBING AN EARLY ASTER CROP ON LAND LEASED 
BY HIM IN NORTHWEST CHICAGO .... 
“April 25, 1904. Sowed an ounce of late branching aster seed 
received today from Dreer in place of an ounce recently received 
of them that did not come up. 
“June 3, 1904. Finished planting asters today, being just two 
weeks in getting out what we believe to be about 45,000, at least. 
“July 5, 1904. 
A lot of our 
asters are begin- 
ning to look aw- 
ful sick and 
prospects are 
looking cloudy. 
The trouble with 
all the affected 
ones is stem rot. 
“July 26, 1904. 
The following 
appeared in 
The Florist Re- 
view of 7-2] Chi- 
cago Notes. It 
was probably 
Geo. J. Bali cutting the Aster crop described in 
diary quotation on this page, Sept., 1904. Early 
pe White Aster selections were made from this 
ield. 
