Earl May Seed & Nursery

Back in the eighties (1880's) my father and mother left a good comfortable home in Pennsylvania to brave the hardships of pioneering. They set out for the west with everything they had. Beyond the railroad, travel was by horse and wagon, rough and slow going over country where roads were almost unknown and homes were few and far between. Finally the long hard haul ended in western Nebraska where my father and mother became pioneer settlers in a district now known as Hayes County.

Some of you old timers who are reading this will know without my telling what hardships were borne by those early settlers in Hayes County and thereabouts. It was a real struggle to make things go and establish a farm and a home.

The land we settled on was open prairie. I remember there were rattlers and grasshoppers aplenty. A great many of the settlers' houses were sod. Ours was a frame house with a sod chicken house. We had nearly two hundred acres of ground and then got another piece by planting a timber claim on it. The soil was good but the hot dry winds kept us from getting good crops. We raised a limited amount of grain,�"

Continued from 2009 Earl May Mailer...

"mostly feed for the cattle during the winter, such as cane and millet. Along the streams and rivers, alfalfa was a big crop.

My main job as a boy was to herd our cattle. Our herd usually ranged from 250 to 500 head. That was not an exceptionally large herd compared to the ranches where they have thousands and thousands, but I did practically all of the taking care of cattle on the range, and you can readily see it gave a fellow plenty to do.

From early spring until late November I spent all of my time on a horse. The few settlers who were out here had no fences around their places and they would put out little patches of corn, and the cattle had to be kept away from it. There were many deep canyons in the cattle country and it was nothing uncommon to find the herd popping out of a canyon in to a man�s cornfield. And I had to be on the job. The hours were long, from early sunrise until dark.

The first money I ever earned was when my father gave me a pig-a very small one, in fact it was a runt. I was milking the cows so I saw to it that the pig got plenty of milk. I traded the pig for three turkeys, then I traded the turkeys, or part of them, for chicks. I bought an incubator and shipped dressed chickens to Commission Firms for a couple of years. I picked up $80.00 the first year after I got started, and $150.00 the second year.

When I was 18 years old I taught country school in western Hayes County, near Wauneta, Nebraska. I roomed at a man�s house by the name of Adolph Grimm, who was quite an alfalfa grower in that territory. There I observed for the first time the value of alfalfa to livestock and poultry. It was then that I began to take an active interest in seeds and the seed business.

Looking back now over those early days, I realize the truth of the saying-"Settlers and Seed are Civilization�s Forerunners." After all, no farming district can exist without good seed.

My first permanent job in commercial lines was selling seeds in the states of Iowa, Michigan and through the South. I traveled by horseback through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. I wasn�t very old then but I learned a lot from the people I called on. How different this was from the way my son Edward sold his first seeds last year over the radio. In just a few minutes he told thousands about MAY�S good seeds and brought in the orders, too.

By working hard I was able to see fifty people in a day, while Edward, thanks to the radio, talked with thousands. But I have never regretted that early experience, for it was then that I learned that to be a success selling seeds, you must have good seeds priced right and you must help the people who buy them by giving them a lot of good, practical information along with the order.

During those four years I learned a lot calling on these people. I got a good understanding of the planters by personally working with them. During this experience of seed selling I was also in touch with the seed growing territories and spent more or less time observing the different varieties on trial grounds. I learned that the soil conditions for the proper development of seeds, trees and shrubs were very important.

In locating here in Iowa, which for half a century has had a reputation for growing hardy, thrifty shrubs and trees of all kinds, I selected a location where I can best serve you people.

Our seed and nursery business has grown from a very small beginning with a small office in a corn crib to the present nationally known business. Now I ship into every state in the Union and even to foreign countries.

As time went on, new developments aided our business in ways not dreamed of when I first rode horseback selling seed from house to house. Radio enables me to talk to millions of people and now I am glad I have a thorough training in the seed and nursery work from the ground up, and a contact with all you who are using this stock, for it enables me to give you lots of help which otherwise I wouldn�t be able to do.

Our family on both sides of the house have always been in the farm and nursery growing business. I know there is not a firm in America that is in as good a position to give you the advice on seeds and nursery stock ours is because it has been our lifelong work.

Thousands upon thousands of visitors are taken through our large nursery here at Shenandoah every year. We show them the apples, cherries, ornamental trees, perennials, etc., growing from the time they are baby plants, clear up the where they are big merchandisable plants ready to go into the ground of your garden.

I have connected with me here experienced people in the seed, nursery and merchandise work and I want you to rely on us all for help and advice as well as entertainment. We have all grown up here in this business and are just one big family and the business is independently owned-and I am proud of the whole organization. Mrs. May and all the rest of our family and entire organization heartily join me in inviting you to write and come and see us any time."

E.M.M.

"My Start in the Seed Business" published in Earl May Seed & Nursery 1942 spring catalog.

90 Years and Still Growing Strong --- A Family Tradition Continues...

Earl May's Descendents Still Involved

Betty Jane Shaw, the current president of Earl May Seed & Nursery, has watched her grandfather Earl May's visions develop and mature much the same as a fine oak tree.

Today, Earl May Seed & Nursery is among the top 10 garden centers in the nation. The company's core business remains selling seed and nursery products. These include lawn and garden supplies, pets and pet supplies, nursery stock, seasonal holiday merchandise, gifts, and seeds. Specialty items include private label lawn and garden seed, fertilizers, garden insecticides and fungicides. Landscaping consultation and services are also offered in every store

"Customers can rely on the quality to be above par and the employees to be knowledgeable about the plants and products. They can also find the latest varieties if they want to try new plants, or they can opt for the tried-and-true varieties too" says Betty Jane. And the customer guarantee is among the best in the industry. Earl May will replace any plant that doesn't perform within a year of purchase.

CEO Bill Shaw, Betty Jane's husband, oversees daily operations for the company from its corporate offices in Shenandoah, Iowa. The couple are on a first-name basis with managers and store personnel. Great pride is taken in product knowledge and service. "Almost any place can sell a rose bush or potted perennial, but not many can tell you how to care for them and honor a guarantee too" says Mr. Shaw. "We want to educate our customers so they're happy with their purchase and they can enjoy it for years to come".

Growing in the Right Direction

As the Nursery and Garden Center operations expanded, the need continued for more storage space, and shipping facilities. In the fall of 1971, a new distribution center was built just outside of Shenandoah. Earl May's own fleet of tractor/trailers delivers merchandise and nursery stock to the garden centers daily. Stores are able to replenish inventory often, and customers have plenty of fresh merchandise to shop from.

For many years, Earl May Seed & Nursery operated a 77 acre Test Garden, which attracted thousands of visitors from all over the United States every summer. A portion of the area was used to test over 2,000 varieties of vegetables, trees, shrubs, roses and grasses for national tests and future varieties for Earl May customers. As many as 20,000 visitors attended the annual Open House to see the dazzling display of color created by thousands of blooming flowering plants. The Show Gardens were discontinued at the end of the season in 1994, so the grounds can be used to construct larger nursery growing and shipping facilities to better serve retail customers.

New Stores and Expansions

Earl May Garden Centers have been renowned for providing the best plants, gardening and pet supplies in the Midwest. As times change, store facilities also change to allow customers a pleasant, up-to-date shopping experience. New construction, remodeling and relocation is on-going. Earl May President Betty Jane Shaw is instrumental in the design and layout of stores, providing general directon and long-range strategies for all of them. Many locations are undergoing expansion and facelifts to create a fresh, modern look.

A Store for All Seasons

The original Garden Centers carried mainly lawn and garden products. Seasonal lines such as Christmas have been added to all locations. Employees recieve special training to learn the art of decorating trees and wreaths and beautiful Christmas displays.

In addition, a gift area has been added to all of the stores. Unique one-of-a-kind items are displayed in a fun setting. Another addition in some areas is a Casual Furniture Department, with beautiful, functional patio furniture and accessories.

The pet department is another growing area of the Earl May Garden Centers. Many stores carry an array of small animals and fish. Pet food and supplies are year-round conveniences for customers. All garden centers allocate retail space to wild bird food and supplies as well.

Although there is no longer a mailorder catalog, the company is now meeting today's customer's needs by providing only the finest quality products, through its new and expanding retail garden center facilities, and now, online at www.earlmay.com.