History of H.G. German Seeds, Inc.
My father Harry Grim German established the above firm in 1926.
My father was born in Bucks County, Feb. 2nd 1884 in Doylestown, PA.,
he was a graduate of P.S. University, class of 1902 as a chemist, soon
after graduation he went to work for Hercules Powder Co. in Emporium,
Pa. as a chemist and it was there that he met my mother Maude L. Thomas
and they were married there.
While a youngster, my grandfather German operated a small greenhouse
on a farm near Philadelphia raising roses (at that time that’s
about all they raised in greenhouses as flowers) it was his task every
other day to take the fresh cut flowers into the Wholesale Flower market
in Philadelphia, he had to get up about 3 am to get on the trolleys
and deliver the flowers when the market opened, this of course was his
introduction to horticulture.
My father took a job in a chemical plant called “The Norwich Chemical
Plant” in Crosby PA, this plant was never able to operate economically
and they hired dad to see what he could do about the problem, he soon
turned that around and they built another plant in Smethport, PA, and
dad was made Company Manager.
We moved from Smethport to Crosby in 1919. Dad was always a avid gardener
and soon became interested in Dahlias and Sweet Peas. Due to the problem
encountered with the habit of several different names for most Sweet
Pea varieties, he decided to go to Calif. To visit the Denholm &
Holden Co (now Denholm) Waller-Franklin Co., now Waller and Bodger Seeds,
Inc.
Once there and upon visiting Veteerly & Reinold and observing the
Begonias and Delphiniums work there and due to the fact that he had
to purchase in bulk in order to obtain true to name varieties, he decided
to go into the seed business and sell seeds to Florists-Greenhouse operators.
This during the period when Sweet Peas were a major Greenhouse crop
and they would build new houses or a new house and then when it was
finally glassed in, they just dig beds, filled with top soil and trenches,
covering with about 6-8” soil and sowed with Sweet Peas. They
erecting the Greenhouse and labor on planting and harvesting the crop,
so Sweet Peas were a major item and some growers purchased several pounds
and mostly in separate colors.
Father went to Philadelphia several times a year to visit his parent,
on these trips he visited major growers and sold Sweet Peas, Delphinium,
Begonia, and Cyclamens when he first started as it was just a hobby
business.
From Smethport he would make a day long trips to areas he could cover
from here and sales gradually increased, although it was always a hobby
business with him and he never printed a catalog, he soon covered a
lot of Penna, and some of Southern New York state.
I was born in Crosby, Pa. on April 13, 1916, my older brother Harold
born there in 1912 and my younger brother Junior in 1918. I started
to work as soon as I graduated from Smethport High School in 1933 and
at the age of 17 started to work at the Quaker State Oil Refinery at
Farmers Valley, Pa. I started as a laborer, worked up to laboratory
worker testing refinery products, from there I was moved to the “pipe
gang” and learned pipe fitting, becoming a full time “pipe
fitter” in 1937.
From that job I moved to refrigeration engineer and then solvent plant
operator. About 1941 I was determined to leave the refinery and move
to Alaska and try homesteading, as wages were very low at that time
and my oldest son Tom who was born in 1934 had suffered a grievous accident
that crippled his right arm at less than 4 years of age and I wanted
to gamble and try and make something of myself so I could educate him
and my other 2 children Patsy Ann and Harold, both younger then Tom.
My father did not want me to move to Alaska and he talked to me about
staying and offering to teach me the seed business, which I could run
as a sideline or hobby business at some time in the future. I talked
it over with my wife Pat and we decided we would do this.
To start to learn the business my father took me on short 1-day sales
trips with him when I had a day off and introduced me to customers and
taught me much about the operation of a greenhouse and important points
on growing and the selection of the best varieties for various geographical
areas that we called on.
My father suffered a stroke in 1945 and a final stroke took his life
in 1949. During the time since I had started to lean the business, I
talked dad into printing a small catalog, this printing was done by
the J. Horace Macfarland Co. in Harrisburg, Pa. this catalog was 4”
wide by 9” long, consisted of 18 pages in black and white and
the outside front and back covers in color and was printed in 1947.
By 1950 the catalog had color on both the inside front and back covers
and was expanding.
Father died Feb. 17. 1949. During that time from his first stroke in
1945 and until 1949 the Quaker State Oil Refining Corp. treated my father
with great respect and allowed me to take time off to cover his sales
routes.
I covered what I could on my day off and the requested 3-4 weeks off
twice a year to cover the longer trips, in the meantime trying to expand
the business. After his death I could no longer feel that I should request
the continuation of this favor from Quaker State, so in mid October
1949 after over 16 years in the Refinery I walked out the gate full
of dreams and ideas and with 1145 in the bank blissfully left a twice
monthly pay check to go on my own and try and raise my family and educate
them.
The next 2-3 years were tough, as I owed my mother over 15,000 for the
business and dad’s car and I had never borrowed a dollar in my
life. I would make sales trips b carrying food in the car and stopping
at tourist houses, therefore cutting costs as low as possible and at
times stayed away for 2 weeks at a time, but mostly 1 week trips were
the norm.
Our mail order business was starting to grow, but very slowly, as I
did not have the capital to advertise, except in the most modest manner,
if we would get 12-15 mail orders in a week during our busy season we
were pleased. My wife Patricia and I were the only employees, except
the children and they helped some in Packeting Seeds Inc.
In 1953 we printed out first 8” by 10” catalog, consisting
on 28 pages in black and white and the cover pages inside and out in
color. Allysum Royal Carpet was the all American winner that year and
was featured on the front cover and by this time business was finally
growing and this year we moved the business from my mothers home and
moved to a new home built on 103 bank street and in which we had built
what we thought would be a adequate room to house the seed business
for some years.
My son Tom graduated from Alfred State Tech. as a floriculture student
and at the time married Maryland Simons from Cleveland, Ohio, a lady
he had met while in the Cleveland Clinic having surgery on his hand
and arm in hopes of helping it, he went to work in a small estate greenhouse
in the Cleveland area, but was soon requesting that I give him an opportunity
in the seed business, so although I wasn’t as yet in good financial
shape my wife and I decided on the course and he soon move to Smethport
and started to learn the business. He worked in the office and in the
trial gardens and when I started making sales calls I took him with
me. He soon started on the road and opened a lot o new territory in
New York City, and Ohio, this territory growing to a point of great
importance to us. In the meantime the business had expanded considerably
and we hired Mrs. Edna Freer and next-door neighbor as out first employee
in 1956 and 3 years later hired Minerva Gruver, both these ladies were
very important to the progress of H.G. German Seeds, as they soon accepted
a lot of responsibility and were conscious of the burden placed upon
them and after a short time, seldom if ever need to be told what they
had to do. Both these ladies stayed with me until I sold the business
in April 30, 1984 and worked 1 year after that date. Help of this caliber
is often rare and we were fortunate the day we hired these 2 ladies.
They ran the business when my wife and I were traveling, making sales
calls and without the enthusiasm and hard work of my wife Pat and these
2 ladies, I doubt that we would ever had succeeded, they were joined
by my sister in law Mrs. Roy Sample and with my 2 sons, these three
people were the finest assistance one could desire, they certainly made
my day easier and I could leave the office in charge of these people
without the slightest worry.
I ran a rather extensive trail garden to test various seeds strains
when we purchased and to learn more about their habits, this trial garden
expanded and about 1960 the All American Selections Board appointed
me a full All American Trial Judge.
After this honor was bestowed upon me, it quickly became a custom for
those meeting at Penn State University to attend the trials there and
to start their tour of the Eastern gardens to come from Penn State to
Smethport, via the trials here and enjoy a bountiful lunch prepared
by my wife Pat and the girls in the office and the Dandelion wine I
brewed for this occasion and then proceed to Rochester to visit the
gorgeous Joseph Harris Flower and Vegetable trails before proceeding
to Chicago, Minneapolis and later of course it would become a custom
to go from Rochester to Michigan state and from that point it crown
broke up a bit, many visiting various trials before returning home.
The business continued to expand and was reaching a point I could hardly
handle it, and then my wife suffered from 2 accidents and had both hips
replaced and was bed- ridden from Dec. 26th 1983 to mid march 1984and
I took care of her, the house and the business, cooking meals and cleaning
etc. the best I could, but found myself too often working 24 hr. days
and when the opportunity appeared, sold the business to Mr. and Mrs.
Gary Drimes April 30, 1984. They operate the business as H.G. German
Seeds, with a corporate name of “Garden life Inc.”.
I testify that this is the authentic history of H.G. German Seeds Inc.
no one else has the authority or my permission to submit the history
of this fine firm, which I built from a “hobby business”
to a full world known seed firm.
Sincerely yours,
R.T. German
