Landreth Seeds
The most widely advertised seeds in the mid 19th century, nationwide, came from the Philadelphia firm of Landreth Seeds.  This company, founded in 1784, currently boasts of being the fifth oldest corporation now operating in the United States.  David Landreth, Sr. and David Landreth, Jr., pioneered extensive variety testing at their Bloomsdale Farm.  While the Shakers had introduced the wooden seed display box sent out filled with small paper envelopes, according to Landreth historians their company introduced the pasting of the envelope ends in 1835, and the putting up of thousands of each variety in advance of orders.  Later they printed the name of the variety and description of culture on the bags.  However, Landreth did not favor frivolous expenses.  One of their advertisements in Harper’s Weekly, dated April 10, 1880, asserted of their seeds:  “They are NOT put up in Fancy Picture Papers, illustrating improbable vegetables.  They ARE put up in plain paper, at the lowest cost.  The purchaser, therefore, pays for seed and not for fancy paper and printing.  They ARE to be had in any quantity in papers—in ¼ lbs. packages, in pints of Peas, Beans, and Corn, or in Bulk.”

James Burke, of Houston was considered “The great seedsman of Texas” during the Civil War.  The following notes from Civil War newspapers indicate some of his efforts in both purchasing seeds and distributing them:
November 26, 1862—Will pay $10 per bushel for large Marrowfat, Early Washington, or Blue Imperial Peas delivered to Houston
November 28, 1862—Received seed from New York via Matamoras
February 28, 1863—Received seed from Matamoras
May 6, 1863—Will buy seeds of beets, pepper, onions, marrowfat peas, radish, parsnip, blue imperial peas, cucumber, rutabaga turnip, early Washington peas, poppy, squash, melon, indigo, button onions
June 15, 1863—Received seed from John Vanderbilt, New York
July 18, 1863—Has seed grown in England, Germany and the Northern US–$60 a hundred papers, $9 a dozen, $1 each
October 3, 1863—Will give to any needy soldier’s family $100 worth of seed
March 8, 1864—Free seed to soldiers’ families—mustard, kale, pea, bean, okra, carrot, parsley, cushaw, radish pepper, indigo, tobacco
December 21, 1864—75,000 papers of garden seed for sale
January 18, 1865—Just received seed straight from France
January 25, 1865–$1.50 per dozen papers; $10 for 100 papers by mail
January 27, 1865—Garden seed, $8 per hundred papers
March 15, 1865—Cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, artichoke, cauliflower, onions, parsnip, cantaloupe nutmeg melon, citron melon, muskmelon, pumpkin, cushaw, tomato, squash, cucumber,parsley, eggplant, radish, beans and peas of every variety
March 29, 1865—Cabbage and beet seed, $12.00/lb or $1.50 per ounce, or $30 for 100 papers; or $4.00 per dozen papers, or $.50 per paper; Miscellaneous seeds, $8.00 per 100 papers, $2.00 per dozen papers; $.25 per paper. Cabbage—Drum head, Early York, Flat Dutch, Green Savoy, Long Blood Beet.  Seeds grown in the North received via Matamoras.

Wood & Davis, Indianola
May 21, 1859—carries Maupay’s Garden Seed

J. M. Reuss, Indianola
May 21, 1859—Garden seed from Garretson’s Nurseries, Long Island