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PROFUSION ROSE COLLECTION

SEE ILLUSTRATION IN COLORS ON COVER OF THIS CATALOGUE.
The first place in our catalogue this year we are devoting to this unequaled collection of the most satisfactory of all flowers. For many years we have made roses a great specialty at the greenhouses and on our floral grounds and we grow immense numbers of them. Today, September 12, as we are writing this, our fields of rose are a mass of bloom and visitors go into ecstasies over them. Many greenhouses and outdoor frames are filled with small but vigorous growing plants prepared for the spring demand, as we like to send our customers strong well grown plants instead of the little spring rooted cuttings so often furnished by other growers. We specially recommend the following varieties, and have grown an immense number so as to offer this assortment at a very low price.

BABY RAMBLER ROSE.--Decidedly the best rose novelty of the season and the very best red bedding rose in existence. It originated in Orleans, France from a cross of the Crimson Rambler and a Polyanthus variety. It may be called a perpetual blooming dwarf Crimson Rambler. The bush is vigorous, absolutely hardy, about 27 inches in height and the introducers guarantee it to be In Bloom Every Day of the Summer and Fall until severe frosts when grown out of doors. Sometimes as high as 120 flowers have been counted on a single panicle. Color bright glowing scarlet. Has won first class prizes at many of the French and English flower shows. It was never offered in America until last spring and plants went like wild fire. Every flower lover just must have it. Nice well grown plants each 25c. Per doz. $2.25. Large two year old plants each, 75c.

CHATENAY.--One of the most wonderfully beautiful roses ever sent out. Flowers are of elegant shape with slightly recurved petals. Buds are large perfectly formed and just right for buttonhole or corsage. Color beautiful creamy rose shaded with rosy carmine and tinged with salmon at base of petals. A grand perpetual blooming Hybrid Tea, of strong healthy growth and hardy in most places with slight protection. An extra choice free blooming garden variety, blooming almost continuously. Each 20c. Strong two years old plants each 35c.

GOLDEN BEDDER.--This is beyond question the most magnificent golden yellow Tea Rose. The plant is a strong healthy vigorous grower and a profuse bloomer being fairly loaded with flowers and buds the entire season. By some it is called the Star of Lyons and it is a star of the first magnitude, the best bedding variety that we know of and unsurpassed for general planting. Remarkably hardy both as to heat and cold frequently standing the winters uninjured in the open ground without protection. The flowers are very deep, rich and full, of excellent substance and of delicious fragrance; color [illegible] rich, deep golden yellow. Each 20c. Large 2 year old plants [illegible].

WHITE AMERICAN BEAUTY.--For many years the Red American Beauty has been the acknowledged queen of all roses, not only in America but throughout the civilized world. Now we have its mate in a pure ivory white rose of the same form and fully equal in size, beauty and fragrance but easier grown and a much better bloomer. In Germany where it originated it is called Kaiserin Augusta Victoria and it is truly a royal variety. It has no rival as a white bedding rose for it grows vigorously, producing a constant succession of crops of flowers. It is a hardy Hybrid Tea variety like the American Beauty and throws up many blooming stems and all of them are surmounted by lovely flowers. The buds are of elegant shape and slowly develop into full open, very double flowers with wide petals of best substance. It is a faultless variety of exquisite fragrance. Each 20c. Large two year old plants 35c each.

MAMAN COCHET.--The best pink garden rose in the world. In the open ground it quickly makes a strong bush, producing on long, stiff stems, in wonderful profusion, flowers that are so perfect as to defy accurate description. The buds are beautiful, large, full and firm, elegantly pointed, while the open flowers are extra large, perfectly double and of splendid substance. The COLOR IS CLEAR, RICH PINK CHANGING TO SILVERY ROSE. Blooms all the time. Each 15c, 2-year-old plants, Each 30c.

LIBERTY.--One of the most sensational varieties ever introduced, its color being indescribable rich glowing, dark crimson scarlet far surpassing anything which our artists could depict, and it must be seen to be appreciated. It is unequaled in purity and brilliancy. The plant is of strong, erect bush like growth remarkably vigorous and producing an abundance of blooms. The flowers are of immense size, magnificently full, deep, fragrant and very double. The original plants of this rose sold for $7,500.00. Nice plants each 20c. Large two year old plants, each 40c.

ABOUT OURSELVES.
The first question which comes to the mind of the prospective buyer about any seed house is "are they reliable?" Almost everyone in Iowa who uses seeds knows the Iowa Seed Company and our Choice Iowa Seeds are sown in every neighborhood in the state, but as this catalogue goes to many in all parts of the world who have not dealt with us, a few words about our business may help us to become better acquainted. This business was established in 1870--thirty-five years ago--and it has grown until now it occupies a very prominent place in the seed trade of the country.
The business has been under the same management for many years past, the present manager having been connected with the company for twenty-eight years. During all this time we have been constantly in close touch with the farmers and gardeners, and know what will prove the most satisfactory in the various localities. Success in the seed trade depends almost entirely on the confidence of the people, and our customers have learned that they can rely implicitly on us.

OUR ESTABLISHMENTS.
This business has now reached such proportions and is so diversified that it is impossible to conduct it all under one roof, and the accompanying illustrations will help you appreciate our efforts in building up one of the most substantial business enterprises in the world today.

THE IOWA SEED STORE is so well known in Des Moines that it would be difficult to find even a child in this city of 80,000 inhabitants who does not know its location. It occupies the large building at 613-615 Locust street within three or four blocks of the postoffice, express offices and principal railroad passenger stations. The large store room is full of interest to everyone who has a farm or garden, or who loves flowers. Here are also located the offices and correspondence department. During our busy season we receive 2,000 to 5,000 letters every day, and it requires seventeen typewriters to answer the correspondence. We are always glad to have our customers call and examine our stock and manner of doing business.

Profusion Collection.
One strong plant each of the above six roses for 75c. One large two-year-old plant of each for $1.85. Sent prepaid to any town in the United States or Canada.

24 NEW GREENHOUSES erected during the past three years are devoted exclusively to growing plants for the mail order trade, and they contain a greater variety of plants than any other greenhouse in the west. Hundreds of plant orders are filled daily during the busy season; small plant orders can be mailed direct from the branch postoffice nearby. They are located convenient to the electric car line and fronting on Kingman Boulevard, one of the finest driving streets in the city. Here we devote fully 12 acres to flowers, making the finest display to be found in the west.

THE WAREHOUSE on South Fifth street we have occupied for many years for storage purposes only. Large lots of seeds which come in after harvest, are thoroughly cleaned and then put away in this building and held in readiness for the spring trade.

MAIL ORDER BUILDING.--Our trade has increased so constantly that we purchased the ground at 208-210-212 S. Eighth St. about six blocks from the store, and erected thereon a large building specially arranged for our trade. The railway tracks beside the building give us unexcelled facilities for handling carload lots, and we are centrally located between the various freight depots, so that small shipments can be made promptly. Our machinery is operated by four electric motors, and we claim that our mills for cleaning seeds cannot be surpassed. We can readily fill 2,000 to 4,000 orders per day in this building, and they are handled in such a careful way that errors seldom occur. Most of our employees have been with us many years and appreciate the importance of each order, no matter whether small or large, and no "green hands" handle seeds in bulk.

SEED FARMS.--It requires the seed crop from about 8,000 acres to supply our trade and the farms are widely isolated so as to avoid any danger of mixtures. Some seeds cannot be grown to advantage here, and we contract with practical seed growers in other states and a few in Europe to grow for us. For instance, we pay our growers in Denmark about three times as much for cauliflower seed as it would cost to have it grown in this country, but it is much superior.

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ESTABLISHMENTS
OF THE
IOWA SEED COMPANY
DES MOINES
IOWA

GREEN HOUSES
WARE HOUSE
SEED STORE
OFFICES
MAIL ORDER DEPARTMENT
SEED FARMS - 8600 ACRES.