Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files may be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
The Dennis Werner Collection of Seed Catalogs contains approximately 90 annual publications from W. Atlee Burpee & Co. and contains 17 annual publications of other nursery and seed companies, including Gurney's, Schell's, and Iowa Seed. The date span is 1883 to 2013, but there are some gaps. In addition to the annual catalogs, the collection contains such ephemeral materials as envelopes, order forms, inserts about products, price lists, money order forms, catalog request forms, and other materials.
Dennis Werner, a professor in the Horticultural Science at North Carolina State Univeristy, has collected historical seed catalogs (primarily Burpee Seed) throughout his career. W. Atlee Burpee (1858-1915) began a mail-order company in the 1870s, and he experimented with selective breeding and hybridization for the improvement of animals and plants. By the 1890s Burpee had became the largest seed company in the world. The business's annual catalog (begun by 1881) was an important marketing tool, and it played a significant role in the company's success. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century other nurseries and seed companies also became famous, in part, because of their catalogs. These included Ferry (later Ferry-Morse), Gurney, Iowa Seed, Earl May, Schell, and others.
Dennis Werner holds a BS in Horticulture from Pennsylvania State University (1973) and a MS and Ph.D. in Horticulture from Michigan State University (1975, 1979). He became an assistant professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University in 1979 and became a full professor in 1988. He was director of the JC Raulston Arboretum from 2005 to 2008. He was the JC Raulston Distinguished Professor from 2007 to 2015, and in 2013 he became Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor. He has collected historical seed catalogs throughout his career.
W. Atlee Burpee (1858-1915) began a mail-order company in the 1870s, first focusing on animals but quickly expanding to include nursery plants and seeds. He experimented with selective breeding and hybridization for the improvement of animals and plants. By the 1890s Burpee had became the largest seed company in the world, and since then its slogan has been: "Burpee's Seeds Grow". Among the company's successful varieties are "Iceberg" lettuce, "Stringless Green Pod Beans," "Fordhook" bush lima beans, and "Golden Bantam" sweet corn. After 1900 flower seeds became an important part of the business.
The annual catalog (begun by 1881) was an important marketing tool for Burpee, and it played a significant role in the company's success. By the late 1880s the catalogs contained color plates, some of which were purchased from Europe but most were created by skilled immigrant watercolorists in Germantown, Pennsylvania. After 1900 black-and-white photography began to appear in the catalogs, and by the 1950s color photographs had been introduced.
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century other nurseries and seed companies became famous, in part, because of their catalogs. These incuded Ferry (later Ferry-Morse), Gurney, Iowa Seed, Earl May, Schell, and others.
The Dennis Werner Collection of Seed Catalogs contains approximately 90 annual publications from W. Atlee Burpee & Co. The date span is 1883 to 2013, but there are some gaps. The collection also contains 17 annual publications of other other nursery and seed companies, including Gurney's, Schell's, and Iowa Seed. These date from 1904 to 1958, but they mostly concentrate on the period from the 1930s to the 1950s.
In addition to the annual catalogs, the collection contains ephemeral materials for some years. These include envelopes, order forms, inserts about products, price lists, money order forms, catalog request forms, and other materials. These items are filed with the individual catalogs with which they are associated.
Burpee catalogs are arranged chronologically. Other seed catalogs organized separately, first by name of nursery/seed company and then chronologically. Oversize materials are filed separately in flatbox 9.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Dennis Werner Collection of Seed Catalogs, MC 00573, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Related Materials
Gift of Dennis Werner, 2016 (Accession 2016.0003)
Processed by Jessica Watkins, 2016 February; machine-readable finding aid by Cathy Dorin-Black and Todd Kosmerick, 2016 February.
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files may be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
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[Identification of item], Dennis Werner Collection of Seed Catalogs, MC 00573, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.