A Gardener's Notebook

Archive.org has a host of old seed catalogs (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. I happened across a few in my Pinterest feed and gone completely down the rabbit hole in this treasure trove of information. Sure some ideas might be out of date, but you never know what you might find when you explore these catalogs. I’ll be sharing more catalogs as I find them in the coming weeks. –Douglas

Historical Seed Catalogs: The Conard & Jones Co. roses (1920) – 28 in a series

Download in Text, PDF, Single Page JPG, TORRENT from Archive.org

First Come Best Served, and Why!

Because Roses are scarce — more scarce than we have ever known them to be. We estimate that there are, on the average, three purchasers for every Rose that will be offered for American gardens this coming spring, and even Mexico is coming back to us for large quantities of Roses, as in pre-war times.

But it is not the increase in demand so much as the short supply that prompts us to warn our patrons of exact conditions — Roses are scarce for many reasons:

1st. The Federal Horticultural Board have erected, in Quarantine 37, an embargo barrier which shuts out from America all foreign-grown Roses, except Novelties. These imports in the past amounted to over 3,000,000 Roses a year, according to census reports.

2d. The supply of American-grown Roses is far below normal, due to wartime and post-wartime conditions, viz.: Government 50 per cent restriction on coal; deflection of labor in the North to strictly war work, and in the South to growing high-priced cotton, left growers the alternative of paying prohibitive prices for labor or reducing their output, and the output was reduced. Today Roses are scarce, there is no doubt of that. Fortunately, for us, we expect to have our full quota of stock; we foresaw the situation and supplemented our own supply early. We believe we shall be prepared to fill all orders as usual, but we are thus forewarning our patrons to place their orders early so that stock can be reserved and sent at right planting-time.

Another point, which all know, is the “reduced purchasing power of the dollar.” We know we could get more money for Roses than we ask; our business needs it, and at the present cost of living, our workers need it. On the other hand, we know that our workers cannot benefit (and everyone of us here are workers) unless we first benefit our patrons. Every solid business is founded on that law, but what means quite as much to us is to attain our ambition and cherished desire — that C. 6° /. patrons shall get the best that their money will buy in any market, that is why our prices are not higher.

Nursery agents, as a rule, where found today, are offering Roses for sale at $1.50 each. The Roses listed below are as large or finer, and you can order easily by mail for only $i each, or at less than $1 if you order ten or more at one time. If you would get the best, don’t delay, order today and get Star Brand Roses.

Learn more about gardening history with these books

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!