Got a real gem on ebay - 1871 Vick's Seed Catalog

[nctomatoman]

I got lucky - the auction ended during work day and I was between meetings, so could swipe in and get it (but no, it wasn't cheap!). Very nice, in a leather binding, excellent condition.

It arrived today, I've been thumbing carefully through it. There are far more tomatoes listed than I expected for 1871. Listed 23 tomatoes and one ground cherry (I assume). They are as follows:

Early Smooth Red
Hubbard's Curled Leaf
General Grant
Hathaway's Excelsior
Keyes' Early Prolific
Trophy
Eureka
Orangefield (aka Sim's Cluster)
Dwarf Orangefield
Lyman's Mammoth Cluster -described as large pinkish red that grows in clusters
Alger
Golden Striped - simple description of red and yellow stripes
Cedar Hill
Tilden
Lester's Perfected - described as large, few seeds and late, and pink - this is likely an early "version" of Ponderosa
Persian - described as very large creamy yellow - I've also seen it described elsewhere as nearly white....think "Hugh's" I suppose in appearance.
Large Yellow
Large Smooth Red
Fejee
Pear Shaped
Plum Shaped Yellow
Yellow Cherry
Red Cherry
Winter Cherry

I took some pics - see below.

[gardenfrog]

You lucky dog! What a prize!!! : )

[nctomatoman]

Let's just say I've seen this sort of catalog get bidded up to astronomical heights. I seemed to catch it when it was still in our solar system!

[Barbee]

That is cool! It looks to be in excellent shape and the colors are so bright. Good job!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Let's just say I've seen this sort of catalog get bidded up to astronomical heights. I seemed to catch it when it was still in our solar system!

Congrats and I mean it.

When can I borrow it and how much will it cost me to read a single page?
I'm just assuming you have to cover some of your cost somehow.

[gssgarden]

Can you tell us more about this particular catalog? Was it just old? Something behind Vick's? Any of those toms still around?

Greg

[nctomatoman]

Hi, Greg - any seed catalog dated prior to 1900 is rare/hard to get (since so many were thrown away, lost or are just falling apart). Any catalog dated prior to 1880 is a treasure. In the 1870s? WOW! You just never see them.

James Vick started his seed company in Rochester, NY in 1860 - there weren't all that many in business back then. So an 1871 catalog is really at the start of when named varieties (beyond Large Red and Apple Shaped) were being released by seedsmen.

As far as any of them still existing....probably not as they were named back then (of course, yellow and red plum, pear and cherry tomatoes go back to the 1700s and are probably very similar today to what existed back then). But for the larger fruited ones - Trophy was found by me in the USDA collection, but it is highly unlikely that it is as it was when released. Much of the tomato development back then was not done properly, since until Livingston came along, people still thought that selecting particular fruit from a plant would lead to improvements. Livingston realized that it is in picking out distinct plants, not distinct fruit on a particular plant, that could lead to new varieties.

As I indicate in the text in my OP, some of those are probably similar to the varieties as known today.

it really is the Livingston releases that began in 1870 (Acme, Perfection, Stone, Golden Queen, Favorite, Beauty, etc), which are true improvements, that some were maintained and are available today (but again, who really knows if they are exactly as they were?). And it is probably also likely that Livingston himself used varieties such as those listed above as starting points for his selections and developments.

Can anyone tell that I really love this history stuff!

An interesting thing I noted - there were no Cosmos listed in the catalog. It was clear that Asters, Gladiola, and Dahlias were the most popular flowers.

[Mischka]

Congrats on such a fantastic find, Craig! I use Ebay a lot, too. Nothing like moving in for the kill in the last few seconds of the auction, eh?

[nctomatoman]

Well, Mischka, you know what it was like...heart beating fast, shaking a bit with anticipation! Problem is you lose as often as you win those!

[PNW_D]

What a beauty Craig - and linking that forward to a few listings from:

Annual report of the Board of Control of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station
Issue 6
New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
Published by the Station under authority of Cornell University., 1888

So, what are the chances my seed for Japanese Striped (received in a trade) are one and the same as HCL ; also note the whitish specks id in FeeJee!! (Eva Purple Ball/Redfield Beauty)

No. 38. FEEJEE ISLAND RED, Thor., '83.

Syn. Feejee Improved, Greg., '87: Feejee Island (d), White.

The Feejee of Burr, also the Perfected, Syn. Lester's Perfected, It., Poma d'Oro Lesterano, is very probably this variety. The names Fidgl Island of VU. and Fiji Island of Veg. Garden refer to a distinct sort.

Fruit large to very large, red, with numerous and somewhat conspicuous whitish specks sprinkled over the surface; oblate; outline angular, and sometimes rather strongly corrugated; cavity medium; basin small in the more regular fruits, with a rather large russet spot at the bottom, ringed and fissured, often much distorted in the larger fruits; cells numerous, but usually small; flesh very thick, center remarkably well filled; firm; — plant extremely vigorous; foliage deep, dull, grayish green, leaflets broad, strongly blistered, deeply cut; calyx segments nearly or quite as long as corolla; — season very late.

Syn. Dwarf Orangefleld, Sib., '87.

Fruit small, averaging about 2 in. in diameter; roundish or slightly oblate, sometimes inclining to conic; outline somewhat angular, the surface presenting '2 or 3 rather obscure longitudinal furrows, corresponding to the number of cells; cavity very slight, scarcely furrowed; basin wanting; flesh thick, moderately firm; — plant very vigorous, leaves usually '2-pinnate; segments of leaflets very bluntly pointed; calyx segments as long as corolla; — season medium.

The fruit detaches very easily, with the calyx and a short section of the stem.

No. 16. HUBBARD'S CURLED LEAF, Sib., '83; Tick, '87.

Syn. Early York, Greg.,'83: Dwarf _Striped Japanese, Ben., '86: San Salvador ?, Dam., '86: Fr., Tomate du Japan naine striee, Ben., '86.

Fruit medium to small; strongly oblate; outline always more or less angular, often deeply corrugated; cavity medium, often very deeply furrowed; basin wanting; in the smaller fruits the center is marked by a very small spot, in the larger ones it is often very irregular; cells 4 to many, often not tilled by the seeds; flesh thick, soft, center not well filled;-—plant not vigorous, very spreading, foliage much shriveled; older leaves often twice-pinnate in the lower half; leaflets not much cut, segments rather rounded than pointed; calyx segments nearly or quite as long as corolla.

One of the earliest varieties, but aside from this is without merit.

And, as an aside, I found this rather interesting tidbit in same publication:

No. 49. GOLDEN QUEEN, Liv., '85; Vil., '87. Syn. Fr., Tomatejaune grosse lis.te, Vil., '87.

Fruit large, light clear yellow; oblate; outline rarely somewhat angular; cavity small, usually little furrowed; basin small, with an inclination to become ringed, rarely sufficiently irregular to deform the fruit; cells numerous, small; flesh very thick, moderately firm, center well filled;—plant very vigorous; leaves not often 2-pinnate, leaflets very broad except toward the terminii of the branches, little blistered; — season medium.

Another Golden Queen, seed from Thor., '87, was distinct from the above in having the fruit of medium size, and showing a considerable inclination toward red in the part opposite to the stem. The leaflets were also rather narrower, and the fruit ripened slightly earlier.

[nctomatoman]

Thanks, Denise. Doing this tomato detective work is really addictive, hey?

[remy]

Craig,
Lucky you! I wouldn't mind seeing a few more pages of other items or pics if you end up having time to do some scans. I love this kind of stuff.
Remy

[matertoo]

Craig,
As a lover of all things historical, I congratulate you on your good luck. Way to go!!

Happy Matering,

Paul

[PNW_D]

pic of:

Engraving fig. 5 p. 94

would be good

[nctomatoman]

Denise, the 5th pic over are the pics mentioned on the text pages. (that is page 94) - so that is a drawing of Hubbard's Curled Leaf fruit. Too bad they don't have a woodcut of the plant!

Remy, which sorts of things would you like a pic of? Name the crop(s) or flower(s)!