3

Overview Transcribe Versions Help

Facsimile

Transcription

Status: Complete

[1]

Ellis T. Pierce, President.

M. Kurtzweil, Vice-President.

Established 1871. Incorporated 1889.

M. L. Page, Secretary.

Chas. N. Page, Treas. and Gen’l Mgr.

OFFICE OF

IOWA SEED CO.,

903-905 WALNUT STREET.

Des Moines, Iowa, January 1, 1893.

[image (three story building with ornate brickwork and two horse carriages in foreground)]

[text in image (on top of building): IOWA SEED COMPANY]

To Our Friends and Patrons:

With Pleasure We congratulate our customers on another year of prosperity, which we believe has been quite general throughout the country. Our trade has been much larger than it has any other year during our twenty-three years experience in the seed business at this place, and in this, our catalogue for 1893, we desire first of all to most sincerely thank our patrons for their valued orders of the past year, and their many kind letters telling how much they think of our Choice Iowa Seed, We are striving to grow and supply our customers with the best seeds, bulbs and plants that can be grown or procured, and it is pleasant to know that our efforts have been successful and are appreciated.

Our seed crops are not large this year, in fact in many items, especially onion seed, beans and peas, there is a considerable shortage and a prospect of running out before the season closes. Quality is excellent, however. Iowa is truly the garden spot of the United States; the soil and climate are peculiarly adapted for the growing and perfecting of seed crops. There has been much talk in recent years of Northern grown seeds, surrounded with pictures of reindeers, polar bears and icebergs, but it is a fact that there are very few varieties of seeds which will mature to perfection north of the north line of this state, and one of the northern seedsmen recently informed us that many of their “northern grown” seeds they had grown for them in Georgia, where they could be grown cheap, while we have the same varieties grown for us in about the latitude of Des Moines. Many of the best posted and most particular eastern seed firms now have seed grown for them here, and we would suggest to western planters the advisability of ordering DIRECT PROM US, instead of sending east and having the freight both ways added to the cost of their seeds.

Please examine all parts of this book which we aim to make not simply a catalogue, but a garden guide, which will be of service to all. Our list of seeds will be found to contain all that is best for garden and field culture, and we have added many new and carefully prepared illustrations, designed to convey the most truthful conceptions, so that our customers will better understand just what they are buying

Novelties.—So careful and conservative are we in offering new varieties that it is very rarely that we drop any variety from our list unless supplanted by a more recent and valuable introduction, This year we offer quite a number of well tested novelties which will be found under their proper classification in the body of this book, as we have done away with the separate novelty sheet usually printed on colored paper, It being somewhat confusing to the general purchaser. In each department will be found a number of new varieties which we can most sincerely recommend, and these are in most cases accompanied by new large engravings.

FARMERS.—It will pay every farmer to thoroughly examine our field seed department. This is a specialty with us, and we believe that there is no seed firm in the country which pays more close attention to growing and handling farm seeds. We have many desirable new sorts, and it will pay you well to renew your seed corn, oats, etc., with better and more profitable varieties. Don’t fall to examine that department. Iowa grown seeds are the best.

Again thanking you for past favors and respectfully soliciting a continuance of your patronage, we remain,

Your friends,

IOWA SEED CO.

SUGGESTIONS TO CUSTOMERS.

ORDER EARLY.—The best time to order is just as soon as you receive this catalogue as we can always give your orders more of our personal attention if they come in before the rush of the spring trade. Please use the order sheet, as it makes it more convenient for us in filling orders. Terms are invariably cash with order, as we keep no book accounts in our mail order department, and the expense of sending goods C. O. D. is quite large. Postage stamps received as cash.

SHIPPING DIRECTIONS.—In ordering please state whether it will be convenient for you to receive your goods by express, and if so name your nearest express office, as all orders weighing two pounds and upwards will be forwarded by express if possible. There are five express companies and fifteen railroads centering at Des Moines so that quick shipments can be made to any town in the United States.

CHARGES PREPAID.—All seeds, bulbs and plants, except those noted, are sent prepaid by mail or express by the quickest and most direct route, unless ordered otherwise, and we guarantee their safe arrival.

TESTING:—All seeds are carefully tested, and nothing sent out which we do not believe to be good in every respect.

OUR PRICES.—Our constant aim is to make the highest quality the first consideration, and next to put our prices as low as good reliable seeds can be sold. It is to your advantage to buy direct from the grower, as we know more of the freshness, the purity, and reliability of our seed than a dealer who buys all of his stock.

DISCOUNTS.—On All orders for seeds in packets the purchaser may select twenty-five cents worth extra for each one dollar sent us. This refers only to seeds in packets, not in bulk.

For other discounts see heading of the respective classes of goods. Each year we put up thousands of packets of seeds for free distribution among our customers, by adding liberally of them to orders. We will allow you a discount of ten cents per pound on vegetable seeds, such as are listed as prepaid, if you are willing to have them sent by express or freight at your expense.

WHAT WE GUARANTEE.—That all money sent us for seeds shal [shall] reach us if sent by registered letter, P. O. or express money order or bank draft, made payable to our order. That your order will be filled promptly and well. That goods ordered will reach you safely.
Keep a copy of your order. Frequently persons think that they have ordered articles which they have omitted, and blame us for not sending them.

☞NOTICE.—The importance of Good Seeds cannot be overestimated, and we are certain that after a trial all our customers will agree that our seeds are the purest and best to be had. Still, when it is considered how many are the contingencies on which the success of any crop depends, our customers will readily see that it would be sheer folly for anyone to warrant them to produce a perfect crop, and we want it distinctly understood that while we exercise the greatest care to have all seeds pure and reliable, and also true to name, we do not give any warranty, express or implied. If the purchaser does not accept the seeds on these terms and conditions, they are to bereturned [be returned] at once, and money that has been paid for same will be refunded[.] No officer, agent or employee of this company is authorized to make any warrantee whatsoever. However, we have so much confidence in our seeds that we hereby agree to refill any retail order for vegetable or flower seeds free of charge should they prove otherwise than as we represent them.

We know of no responsible seed firm in the world who guarantees seeds any further than this. Compare with other seed catalogues and you will find that we are right.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY.—As this book will probably go into the hands of many who are unacquainted with us, this question will naturally arise, and in answer to the same we respectfully refer you by permission to the Valley National Bank of this city, to the post master, and any of the various express companies.

MARKET GARDENERS and others who buy Vegetable Seeds in Bulk to the amount of $5.00 or more, are requested to send for our Market Gardeners’ Price List. This list for market gardeners is intended only for large buyers, and is exclusively for those who order vegetable seeds alone by weight or measure amounting to $5.00 or over. Club orders which call for this amount of bulk seeds altogether are entitled to these prices.

[image]

[text in image: WE PAY THE POSTAGE ]

[text in image: U.S. ]

[text in image: U. S. MAIL ]

Notes and Questions

Nobody has written a note for this page yet

Please sign in to write a note for this page

Transcription conventions

Spelling: Use original spelling. You may correct a misspelled word by typing the correctly spelled word in brackets after the misspelling: werk [work].
Capitalization: Use original spelling unless all caps—then, modernize for readability.
Punctuation: Add modern periods, but don't add in punctuation like commas and apostrophes. Do not transcribe hyphens or spaces in words that occur at line breaks. Our goal is to provide text for searching and accessibility/readability.
Line breaks: Hit return once after each line ends. Two returns indicate a new paragraph, which is usually indicated by an indentation in the original.  Do not transcribe hyphens or spaces in words that occur at line breaks. Our goal is to provide text for searching.
Formatting: Don’t worry about formatting (e.g. underline, italic, bold, spacing, superscript, bullets, alignment, etc.). Treat multiple columns as singular column of text. Where necessary, indicate columns as [left column], [middle column], [right column].
Illegible text: Indicate illegible text as [illegible]. If you spot [illegible] in an already started transcription, feel free to correct it if you know what the word is. If you aren’t sure of a word but want to take a guess, type your guess with square brackets and a question mark: [Carver?]. If you have an idea about what the word might be but can’t make it out, indicate the type of word you think it is in brackets: [town?] or [name?]. Click Needs Review atop page for someone to review.
Images and figures: Indicate images, illustrations, figures, etc., in brackets, e.g. [image]. Indicate multiple items in one area of the text with [images]. Optionally, describe contents to enhance accessibility for visually-impaired.
Contact us with specific questions or issues.