Thursday, January 21, 2016

1890 - The Enthusiastic, List Loving Mr. Burr

Charles L. Burr, Seedsman, Springfield, Ohio

I hadn't found a seedsman lately that caught my interest.  Then I bumped into this...

System,  Hard work, The best varieties, A loveof horticulture, The knowledge of requirements, Bring success with flowers or fruits. Map out next year's work now. Collect your lists of best varieties.  Start a horticultural society in your place. Buy the best of everything, if it costs more. Take all the horticultural papers you can afford, not omitting SUCCESS WITH FLOWERS.


Here is a respected seedsman who was addicted to a sort of shape poem while he dished out good advice and ads!  As the following magazine introduction says, his columns was "full of the right information at the right time".  

While the two pieces above were timeless, most of his work was addressed to concerns of that month in the garden. And every month Burr produced a column that was shaped like a cone.  I love it!
Here are some edited columns.  I pruned them when the column started to have straight sides. They got more into particular care of varieties and less universal in their advice when he used more words. 







 By the way, I added this background color...


This one is a delightful self promotion.



Most of the above pieces by Burr are from Success with Flowers, a Floral Magazine, Volumes 1-2 1890


The basics:
From A General History of the Burr Family, 1878
His father HARVEY BURR, of Champion, Jefferson County, NY m. Mar. 11, 1851, to Florilla Lane, b. June 20, 1832. Their children were Charles L., b. Aug. 22, 1853 ;  Anderson H.," b. July 19, 1856;  Clara E., b. Sept. 16, 1858; Clarence E., b. June 26, 1861 ;Ida May,"b. Dec. 11, 1862; Laura B., b. 1299 Dec. 31, 1868.
CHARLES L. BURR, of Springfield, Massachusetts married Frances E. Adams, of Mt. Hope, N. Y. Their children were Ida May, b. Jan. 26, 1881 ; Estella G., b. Jan. 10, 1883; Harrison H.,  b. Nov. 24, 1884; Charles L., Jr., b. May 26, 1887. Mr. Burr is a practical seedsman and florist, and has established a large and rapidly increasing business at Springfield.