The Guardian, Charlottetown, Thurs.,.ay 6, 1965. 7] = : L We reserve the right. ACROSS THE ISLAND ~ 1.

York Seed Business

Spans The Continent we Go! | UN nr By NEIL A. MATHESON 3 a? e panes a NATION'S ee WA

SALE DATES: MAY 6-7-8

ed an attractive seed distributing shop alongside his home in York Few Islanders realize it—I'll admit I had no idea—but

Art Vesey has one of the most widely known mail order seed ; Toe! { distributing businesses in this country. I don't know how it ‘ compares with some of the biggest businesses in the larger as " wor F r

provinces. bit | know it's the largest mail order seed busi-

ness in the Atlantic Provinces Pre . oF B : This modest Islander ships seed orders all over this coun- i ry oa ty a : sae try. from Newfoundland to British Columbia—Vesey'’s seeds go ECON o< — ioe —_

even to Alaska And seed#are Shi to Maine. The business

is increasing as the years go by course there's 2 reason. . be, ‘ 200 Letters Daily At Peak Period os ~~ Each week we help her with the finest ART VESEY has been seeking the newest and the best in < © 2 = at lowest prices poasibise garden seeds for many -years——He-competed-—in-the-vegetable- ” collection exhibit at Charlottetown when he was only 11, and : ee ee = that's a long time. ago_now.. He was sending letters even Mother doesn? heve billions te

then to many parts of the world, in his search for -the best . garden seeds obtainable He's still, searching for something Record for past year.

that's new and different - sy i Oh . ; . she’ overspend when she sees He put out the first Vesey's Seed catalogue in 1339. His 1095 delicious, nourishing Vope & @n extra geod special, but that’s just tal al off tems obtaina here else. La € Paya 28 to 30 sca pros ca for ee = oo good economy, and before « ° = for his catalogue are increasing each year. The mail averages ‘ meals on a balanced aa two have passed she’s back operating 20 letters per day at the peak of the enquiry season, as new normal again. When it comes te maneg- customers send for them. There were 30,000 catalogues mail- budget. ay , we'll bet on MOTHER every time. * _ed>outthe, second week in January, the period when they \ Here's how she'll seve on food this week. wr Pine Ge cee tae Voir. Sands double ew anoams a way esey a peon “6 f j been a partner for the past seven years—get their catalogues Maple Leaf Canned mailed Obviously it’s a tremendous task te put 30,000 catalog- Mixo King Size Quaker 6 a ete saa \ PICNICS *% ta $1.25 MARGARINE

So -‘we have parties,’ Mr Vesev_told- me ' They called them “bees” and sometimes “frolics” In the days of a half : . . . eentury ago People liked them then. and the Vesey neighbours : : like them now. About a dozen neighbours gather and place : i Clarks In T. S. tatalogues in envelopes for mailing Afterwards they have a : : feed, and “‘they seem to enjoy it,” this enterprising 1 ; “2 oz. oe th. told me The fact the ‘‘parties’’ are held in the C is 64 oF es \ “ ‘ | : ees holiday period adds that extra touch of desirability 2 C ‘a C

Mr. Simpson is a bit younger, and his generation makes bt! For Guest Strawherry | ,

The third party completes this task, I gather : SPECTED

Fae eovelopes are addressed: earlier ia the oor. te ene of : J AM GOVERNMENT _IN MEATS seed packaging and selling season lasts less than half the year. Assorted Ta bot the work lasts through the year Five people are em- . : 1 Crile... ee

up the second eon So more catalogues are placed in en- the young ladies who does nothing else for several months. The ployed through the 12-month period There are 10 to 12 people working at the peak — 24 oz = 43

Every Item Is Carefully Tested | btl.

1 WAS impressed by many things this modest York busi- ns. nessvan told me. but | liked particularity the fact that no seed > is advertised under his firm's name that has not been care ai fully. tested, in the extensive Vesey gardens, and has proven

fo be satisfactory “I can picture the vegetable ‘growing im the ‘garden, and recal! how it lonked. when | write the information about it for the gardener,” Mr. Vesey told. me Four Maids Sliced The seed: !s purchased in many parts of the continent, and

the effort continues to keep his product the very best that is i obtainable Next year's catalogue will advertise an Island . product. “"York" turnip that has been developed largely through

the efforts of Research Officers George Ayers and Keith Le ; lacheur, Experimental Farm. It's resistant to Club Root, and ® co

wa: found originally on the farm of Leonard Andrews at York ~ The seeds are shipped in large quantities. There were 6,000 15 oz. C 15 oz. pounds of corn in this year’s orders. Many items ranged higher

thar the 10.000-pound bracket. tins

In corn, for example, they have early, medium and late

Varieties And the Veseys are convinced all three varieties are

the very best obtainable And that reminds me of a story about “early vanety * claims

One Canadian mail order seed house advertises a variety that ’ é

is “‘the earliest im the world”. In the same catalogue. though. Allen's—Orange, Grape} P & G'Fruit

they list the same vegetable that ‘ ‘is three days earlier than any

Lynn Valley Wax

t Club [ smom” STEAK | 7% SIRLOIN eee ee @ = Se te ee, a BEEF RUMP ROAST 8 6% I found the — ‘sare tap aes sew care at vane : F e ing Away back in iw aot Dal ag gn lily gg Pg FROZEN FOODS SIRLOIN TIP ROAST . Charlottetown friends, for they were the only ones who had cars se b.

ip those earty days of automobiles. Of course neighbours got Birds Eye Orange

79c none $ JUICE . : tis 29C FRESH GROUND HAMBURG = 43c = . > ee 2 m 4Q9c¢| DEVON BACON. po ee

With Arthur constantly developing new and better varieties. as he sought the best from the scores of places to which he ie the garden seed business. “It wasn't planned that way, it just happened.” he told me

. as 6

Farm House Straw. Rhubarb ceived any monev for garden products. His father took a basket of cucumbérs to Cudmore’s store in Charlottetown and was paid = ’ each one dollar for it. That was a lot of-mioney then, and i wes par- s 2 7 ° ™ to the sales of garden seed Gradually it has grown until the plone business requires the present spacious and attractive quarters SODA CRACKERS . — Ih. 54 ° piss Cc found it interesting. and here it is. Rena Wond. now Mrs Edwin Johnstone, had been giving Kraft pkgs. dollar to continue his own study. EW Op 4 Well one pup?! told another. and first thing he knew Mr N CR TEXAS

getting it from his parents My own youth goes back to about ins” the same time, and. youngsters just didn’t have money then, N. S. SNOWY WHITE — * unless they earned it Money was a mighty scarce item , ste pad 12

wrote for catalogues. and information, the neighbours started First Cash Return Is Recalled ticularly interesting as it came from something most people Recalling the Vesey pupils in earlier P.E.I. Music Festivals. piano lessons for 35 cents When she left the province Arthur j a; — Vesey had to pay $10 a lesson to Professor Fletcher in Char- SS ; lottetown. So he started giving lessons himself to beginners at BaidwW st 4 a 6 es Vesey had 30 tr 60 pupils I believe he taught piano for some ; thing like ® years in al! He studted piano himself for more than : , ’ 10 years. I understand Lhs ci ° e rolls C Money Was Scarce Item Then One other story about the Vesey career and I'm through. Recalling that I had seen this man direct dramatic pro- ductors. | found that “Ma” Henry (Mrs. Arthur) had directed Lbs ® production of the York plavers one vear a long time ago. Next = wear Arthur Vesey tackled the job himself There have been Libhbvs ‘ There are many things an enterprising son of this province can do. if he has the initlative. and the courage to try it. and . ae the determination to stick with it. T have in mind a chat with a i 6 6 6 © ® . bottles -

coming to him and asking for seed First thing he knew he was

gave away at the time. . : f- He started with a smal! room in his oun house given. over VLVSS f, WA PAW mer - Davids Salted or Plain ip mince *

I sought the story of his early development as a musician. I s

25 cents a lesson He wanted four pupils, so he could make that YOUNG PEOPLE today wl! probably fail to understand the : 15 of.

reed of “malonc’’ that dollar for the Fletcher lesson. instead of ; ® ® @ @ C

many entertaining productions since then from the York, group.

neighbour of Mr. Vesev's for a later columm. The man doesn’t SUNKIST

know it vet. but T believe his story will offer further inspixation Cross 2 Blackwell Pure

to tome Islander to create a business of his own ‘

comer = =25|LEMONS 4 29¢|ASS0HTE sams. .3 = st00 e€ anges - "Fal et easton j Davids. -

ee tan “iam SLACK BROS. ISLAND : ASSORTED CANDY . oke. 39c

OTTAWA CP)—The govern- ‘ guard services ment fs concidering recommen- and the committee was estab- dation hat far - reaching lished

changes he made in the Cana- _ Department officials said SUMMER 18 os.

Asan \Coast Guard Tuesday the committee's report = pong C

“ "The * recommendations were has been handed in to the gov- tins made bv 2 special transport de- efmment It is believed to con- F K E E 3

partment committee. set up sev- tain recommendations for ex-

eral month: ‘aga to make @ tensive additions to the fleet ELLIS study of the coast guard and The committee studied various Porking cav what. # anything. should be types of vassels that could be € done to mmprove the service. used by the coast guard—in- pkgs. For The action was taken after cluding surplus warships—and 300 Gars BROS.

several Nova Scotia fishing ves- also considered use of helicop- { pele foundered late lest year. In ‘ters.

— =