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Landreth SeedsThe most widely advertised seeds in the mid
19th century, nationwide, came from the Philadelphia firm of Landreth Seeds. This company, founded in 1784, currently
boasts of being the fifth oldest corporation now operating in the United States. David Landreth, Sr. and David Landreth,
Jr., pioneered extensive variety testing at their Bloomsdale Farm. While the Shakers had introduced the wooden seed
display box sent out filled with small paper envelopes, according to Landreth historians their company introduced the pasting
of the envelope ends in 1835, and the putting up of thousands of each variety in advance of orders. Later they printed
the name of the variety and description of culture on the bags. However, Landreth did not favor frivolous expenses.
One of their advertisements in Harper's Weekly, dated April 10, 1880, asserted of their seeds: "They are NOT
put up in Fancy Picture Papers, illustrating improbable vegetables. They ARE put up in plain paper, at the lowest cost.
The purchaser, therefore, pays for seed and not for fancy paper and printing. They ARE to be had in any quantity in
papers—in ¼ lbs. packages, in pints of Peas, Beans, and Corn, or in Bulk."
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Texas Seed Dealers
James Burke, of Houston
was considered "The great seedsman of
Texas" during the Civil War. The following notes from Civil War newspapers indicate some of his efforts in both
purchasing seeds and distributing them:
November 26, 1862—Will
pay $10 per bushel for large Marrowfat, Early Washington, or Blue Imperial Peas delivered to Houston
November 28, 1862—Received seed from New York via Matamoras
February
28, 1863—Received seed from Matamoras
May 6, 1863—Will
buy seeds of beets, pepper, onions, marrowfat peas, radish, parsnip, blue imperial peas, cucumber, rutabaga turnip, early
Washington peas, poppy, squash, melon, indigo, button onions
June 15, 1863—Received
seed from John Vanderbilt, New York
July 18, 1863—Has seed grown
in England, Germany and the Northern US--$60 a hundred papers, $9 a dozen, $1 each
October
3, 1863—Will give to any needy soldier's family $100 worth of seed
March
8, 1864—Free seed to soldiers' families—mustard, kale, pea, bean, okra, carrot, parsley, cushaw,
radish pepper, indigo, tobacco
December 21, 1864—75,000 papers of
garden seed for sale
January 18, 1865—Just received seed straight
from France
January 25, 1865--$1.50 per dozen papers; $10 for 100 papers
by mail
January 27, 1865—Garden seed, $8 per hundred papers
March 15, 1865—Cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, artichoke, cauliflower,
onions, parsnip, cantaloupe nutmeg melon, citron melon, muskmelon, pumpkin, cushaw, tomato, squash, cucumber,parsley, eggplant,
radish, beans and peas of every variety
March 29, 1865—Cabbage
and beet seed, $12.00/lb or $1.50 per ounce, or $30 for 100 papers; or $4.00 per dozen papers, or $.50 per paper; Miscellaneous
seeds, $8.00 per 100 papers, $2.00 per dozen papers; $.25 per paper. Cabbage—Drum head, Early York, Flat Dutch,
Green Savoy, Long Blood Beet. Seeds grown in the North received via Matamoras.
A. L. D. Moore, LaGrange
May 6, 1863—Purple top and Flat Dutch Turnip—1/2
gill [¼ of a pint] for $1, or 3 gills for $5; Carolina Collards; Brown Mustard
J. & S. Rosenfield,
Houston
July 15, 1863—guaranteed fresh
garden seeds by way of Matamoras
E. Blood, Marshall
February 24, 1865—Marrowfat Peas, bunch and bush
beans, onions, radish, lettuce, parsley, celery, spinach, mustard, cayenne pepper, beet, turnip, okra, eggplant, cucumber,
and carrot at $5 a paper; a few papers of drumhead cabbage at Houston $.50 specie or $15 Confederate
T. P. Dick, Clarksville
September 22, 1860—Six kinds of turnip seeds
from Scotland
Wood & Davis, Indianola
May 21, 1859—carries Maupay's Garden Seed
J. M. Reuss, Indianola
May 21, 1859—Garden seed from Garretson's Nurseries, Long Island
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