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Seed Catalogue and Garden Guide.

Expected Expansion for 1913
How we have prepared for increased trade this season
We have made but few improvements or additions to our
equipment this past year; but enough has been done in
each department to place it in readiness to handle an increased
trade of at least 40 per cent over last year. In
1912 we exceeded even our most sanguine expectations in
volume of business, but as we have had a steady growth
each year since 1908, we believe this growth is to continue
and have prepared accordingly. Our strength for the coming
year lies in our personal organization. In each department
we have employed new people of ability to assista our
trained experts of many years' experience. We have most
carefully selected these people as our business now demands
a larger force of permanent employes whos value
to us and to our customers increases with each year of
service. We take great pride in our employes and they in
turn give to our house the best there is in them in service
and loyalty. With these people at your command, to serve
you honestly and well, and with the splendid equipment
which we have furnished to assist them in their work, we
feel assured that no other seed house in the country will
serve you better for at less expense to you. We have immense
stocks of the finest seeds in our elevator and warehouses.
Our greenhouses are filled with vigorous young
plants of exceptional strength and beauty. Our organization
is strong; full of energy and the spirit of service; and
our entire equipment is thoroughly up to the minute in
readiness to care for your orders. We want your business,
with the promise to do our best to make our trading
mutually profitable.

[Images]
Fifth St. Warehouse
Store and Office
Mail Order Building
Seed farms - 8600 acres
Altoona Corn House
Greenhouses

Our Establishments
The Iowa Seed Store is so well known in Des
Moines that it would be difficult to find even a child in this
city of 100,000 inhabitants who does not know its location.
It occupies the large building at 613-615 Locust street,
within a few blocks of the postoffice, express offices and
the principal railroad passenger stations. The large store
room is full of interest to everyone who has a farm or
garden, or who loves flowers. Here are located the offices
and correspondence department. During the busy season
we receive 2,000 to 7,000 letters every day. We are always
glad to have our customers call and see us.

Thirty-Two Greenhouses erected during the past
few years are devoted to growing plants for the mail order
trade, and contain a greater variety of plants than any
other greenhouse establishment in the west. They are located
convenient to the electric car line, fronting five blocks
on 31st street, from Center street north to Kingman Boulevard,
one of the finest driving streets in the city. Here we
devote fully twelve acres to flowers, making the finest
display to be found in the west.

Mail Order Building is located at 208-210-212 South
Eighth street, about six blocks from our store. The railway
tracks beside the building give us excellent facilities
for handling carload lots, and we are centrally located
between the various freight depots so that small shipments
can be made promptly. Our machinery is operated by
five electric motors, and we claim that our mills for
cleaning seed cannot be surpassed. We can readily fill
2.000 to 4,000 orders per day in this building, and they are
handled in such a careful way that errors seldom occur.
Most of our employes have been with us many years, and
no "green hands" handle seeds in bulk.

The Warehouse on South Fifth street we have occupied
for many years for storage purposes only. Large lots
of seed which come in after harvest are thoroughly cleaned
and then put away in this building for the spring trade.

Seed Corn House - We have a very large trade in seed
corn and to care for it properly we erected this building
on our seed farm at Altoona. We now hav capacity for
25,000 bushels of seed corn, every ear of which can be given
the personal inspection of an expert.

Our New Grain Elevator. - Just completed at Altoona,
with 12-bin capacity, for caring for our seed grain, the demand for which is expanding to enormous proportions. Photograph on page 39.

Seed Farms. - It requires the seed crop from about
8,600 acres to supply our trade and the farms are widely
isolated so as to avoid any mixtures. Some seeds cannot
be grown to advantage here, and we contract with practical
seed growers elsewhere to grow for us.