Templin's was a major seed house at the turnof the 20th century. It caught my attention when I noticed I had two postcards from them, one in the delightful artistic exuberant style and one from the killer of the joie de seed - photography. I suppose it was a gazillion times cheaper to use photographs, but, until good color catalogs were possible, the old b&w photos are as appealing as stale bread.
This 1899 catalog page still shows the wonderful artwork that seems so much more desirable than a boring photo!
From the Ohio Historical Society: "Choicest Varieties of Celery" is the headline next to a drawing of Kalamazoo celery, a new variety promoted on p. 11 of the trade catalog "Beautiful Flowers from the Calla Greenhouses, Calla, Ohio" (1899). The illustration shows a bunch of celery with the letters of the name "Kalamazoo" arranged in avertical column.
The catalog was published by Lewis Templin and Sons Seed Company (Calla, Ohio), which was among the largest mail-order seedhouses inthe United States during the mid- to late 1800s. Pennsylvania native Lewis Templin moved to Ohio in 1822 and started his nursery in 1845 inCanfield.
In 1866 Templin and four sons built a greenhouse at Loveland Station (later renamed "Calla). The business had a well-deserved reputation forquality products and for generating its financial success solely from small, individual orders.
Templin's son Mark produced the firm's catalogs, including"Beautiful Flowers from the Calla Greenhouses." An estimated 300,000 catalogs were distributed annually.
A fire destroyed the company's entire spring crop in January 1892, but afterwards the firm rebuilt on an even larger scale. Lewis Templin died in 1899. His sons continued operating the business until1907, when increased competition and rising costs caused it to fail.
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