Historic Seed Catalogs Now Available

The Special Collection Research Center has received a wonderful historic seed catalog collection from Dr. Dennis Werner. Werner is an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor in NC State's Department of Horticultural Science, and he was director of the JC Raulston Arboretum from 2005 to 2008.  He has collected historical seed catalogs throughout his career.

The collection is comprised of 90 annual publications from W. Atlee Burpee & Co., as well as 17 annual publications of other nursery and seed companies. Included are those from the Gurney, Schell, Ferry, and Iowa Seed companies. The date span for the collection is 1883 to 2013. In addition to the annual catalogs, the collection contains such ephemeral materials as envelopes, order forms, inserts about new products, price lists, money order forms, catalog request forms, and other materials.

These catalogs contain a wealth of information on the history of horticulture, plant breeding and selection, and plant genetics in the United States. They are also an important record of the evolution of print design and marketing from the late nineteenth century to the present.

A guide to the collection provides more description about the catalogs.  Researchers may gain access to them through the Special Collections Research Center in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library. Please contact the Center to schedule an appointment .