Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Manufacturer:
A. Bemis  Search this
Medium:
Cloth, wood
Type:
Agricultural implements and tools
Seed industry
Date:
ca.1830-1920
Period:
Victorian (1837-1901)
Description:
Canvas seed gathering bag with wooden hoop to keep the mouth open. The bag is printed “Bemis - Seamless - A - Extra Heavy” by the manufacturer. There are two additional stampings “Fancy Redtop” and “Bedman Brothers, Rahway, NJ” that were presumably added later by the seed company. The practice of saving seeds, sometimes known as brown bagging, entails collecting the seeds and other reproductive material such as tubers from vegetables, grains, herbs, and flowers for use yearly with annuals or nuts, tree fruits, and berries for perennials and trees. The seed gatherers often wore a collection bag, such as this, tied around their waist or cross-body so that they were able to keep their hands free and work more efficiently.
Label Text:
Saving seeds is done both industrially for agriculture and gardening, but it is also done by amateur gardeners. Seed saving was the traditional way farms and gardens had maintained themselves for the last 12,000 years. In the nineteenth century, the commercial seed industry replaced most grassroots seed-saving practices. Rather than collecting and processing their own seeds, gardeners and farmers shifted to purchasing seed annually from seed suppliers. Seed harvesting is a carefully-timed and labor-intensive process, and many farmers and gardeners found relying on the seed industry to do this work for them much easier and more cost effective. The seed industry was essentially a centralized supply collected from individual raisers and sold to both local retailers and directly to the public. Seeds were grown on farms, harvested, dried, and cleaned. They were then sorted, categorized, stored, packaged, described, and mailed. These time- and labor-saving steps made the product of seedsmen more convenient and thereby more valuable than those saved from the previous year’s plants. This elevated their products over what could be found in one’s back yard. Originally in America, seeds had to be imported from Europe for agriculture and gardening, and not surprisingly, the long voyage by ship across the ocean compromised many of the seeds and stunted their successful cultivation. As early as 1780, the seed industry was established in America, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was in full swing. The seed industry sold to home gardeners, professional florists, and market growers through stores as well as mail-order through catalogs.
Mark(s):
BEMIS / SEAMLESS / A / EXTRA HEAVY
Inscription(s):
FANCY REDTOP
Topic:
Agricultural implements  Search this
bags (containers)  Search this
Garden tools  Search this
agriculture  Search this
hand tools  Search this
horticulture  Search this
seed  Search this
Seed industry and trade  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.
Accession number:
1984.260.006
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Horticultural Artifacts Collection
Data Source:
Smithsonian Gardens
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/aq404b1fc0c-888a-4e3a-8eb2-ff9f0e018fe5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hac_1984.260.006