Wild Island Farm seed collection
Catalogue #:
2015.319.2080
Title:
Wild Island Farm seed collection
Subject:
Description:
Seeds. Collection of Polly Storey's Wild Island Farm seeds including three green wooden display boxes (A, B, and C) (with lids attached by brass chains) containing white and green paper seed packets ready for sale, and two shoebox-size cardboard boxes (D and E) with seed packets.
There is also a folder of materials (F) relating to Wild Island Farm, the seed business, and a newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). (See also GCIHS 1000.0.965 for another undated article about seeds business.) Seed packets indicate crop years were 1972 and 1992; but many packets have no crop years identified.
Most of the seeds originated in Maine, but some are from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Yugoslavia.
Polly Storey’s daughter, Elizabeth Selim, recalls her mother germinating wildflower seeds on the property and remembers her mother’s seed business. Two of the green seed display boxes (A and B) contain packets of tree seeds.
On the interior lids of these two boxes is a printed pamphlet: Tree Seeds from Maine* (and other exotic parts of the world), with text on why and how to plant tree seeds. Seed packets inside these two boxes include balsam fir, mountain ash, white pine, sugar maple, paper birch, and white spruce - all "Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625."
Balsam fir (Abies balsama): Purity 93%, Germination 50% March 1994; Crop year 1992, Origin Maine. Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana): Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee. White Pine (Pinus strobus): Purity 98%, Germination 90% March 1994, Crop year 1991, Origin Maine. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): Purity 97%, Germination 55% March 1994, Crop Year 1992, Origin Pennsylvania. Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera): Purity 85%, Germination 95% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Wisconsin. White Spruce: (Picea abies): Purity 98%, Germination 47.5% March 1992, Crop year 1990, Origin Yugoslavia.
Several types of tree seed packets have bar-coded labels on reverse: “Acadia Shops, (seed name), $2.00”.
The third green display box (C) contains mostly flower packets, but there are also four packets of White Cedar seeds in it.
The interior lid of this box has hand drawn text and lovely small watercolor sketches of the types of flower seed packets it contains. White Cedar (Thuja occidentales): Text, printing and ‘packed by’ are slightly different: Purity 95%, Germ. 60% March 1973, Crop Year 1972, Origin Maine: Packed by Wild Island Seeds, The Farm House, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625. Flower packets: Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum): No date packed etc. Blue Flag (Iris versicolor): No date packed etc, but an Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Evening Primrose (Onothera biennis): No date packed etc. Beach Pea (Lathyrus japponics): Empty envelope, no crop year etc. Lupine (Lupinus perennis): No crop year etc. Cattail (Typha latifolia): No crop year etc., sealed but seems empty. Blueberry (Vaccinium augustifolium): No date crop year etc., envelope stained. There are 5 small manila envelopes with handwritten labels: Beach Pea, Wild Rose, Blue Flag, Seaside Goldenrod, and Bunchberry. Inside a sixth, larger manila envelope (labelled in red ink: ‘Begonia seeds’) are 5 folded, white paper packets, only two of which are labelled: "Pink and white from Christmas cactus pot", and "Deep Red".
Cardboard boxes: First box (D) labeled “M.D. Apothecary” contains 59 green and white paper packets of Rhubarb (Rhabarbarum) seeds, “Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625”, no crop year etc., but Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Second box (E) contains 99 green and white paper packets of Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana) seeds: Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee, Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625, no sticker on reverse.
Documents (F): 1970 to 1995, including 1992 correspondence with Aroostook Testing and Consulting Laboratory in Presque Isle, Maine, shows Polly submitted several varieties of tree seeds from Cranberry Island for testing and received germination rates for each. Information on how and when to gather seeds. Statements and business registration information.
Newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). Several letters from visitors who purchased the seeds at local hotels and wanted advice. Two loose 2"x2" square water color sketches of cranberry and fireweed. One 6"x8" color photograph of Polly Storey by Dick Berggren.
There is also a folder of materials (F) relating to Wild Island Farm, the seed business, and a newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). (See also GCIHS 1000.0.965 for another undated article about seeds business.) Seed packets indicate crop years were 1972 and 1992; but many packets have no crop years identified.
Most of the seeds originated in Maine, but some are from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Yugoslavia.
Polly Storey’s daughter, Elizabeth Selim, recalls her mother germinating wildflower seeds on the property and remembers her mother’s seed business. Two of the green seed display boxes (A and B) contain packets of tree seeds.
On the interior lids of these two boxes is a printed pamphlet: Tree Seeds from Maine* (and other exotic parts of the world), with text on why and how to plant tree seeds. Seed packets inside these two boxes include balsam fir, mountain ash, white pine, sugar maple, paper birch, and white spruce - all "Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625."
Balsam fir (Abies balsama): Purity 93%, Germination 50% March 1994; Crop year 1992, Origin Maine. Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana): Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee. White Pine (Pinus strobus): Purity 98%, Germination 90% March 1994, Crop year 1991, Origin Maine. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): Purity 97%, Germination 55% March 1994, Crop Year 1992, Origin Pennsylvania. Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera): Purity 85%, Germination 95% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Wisconsin. White Spruce: (Picea abies): Purity 98%, Germination 47.5% March 1992, Crop year 1990, Origin Yugoslavia.
Several types of tree seed packets have bar-coded labels on reverse: “Acadia Shops, (seed name), $2.00”.
The third green display box (C) contains mostly flower packets, but there are also four packets of White Cedar seeds in it.
The interior lid of this box has hand drawn text and lovely small watercolor sketches of the types of flower seed packets it contains. White Cedar (Thuja occidentales): Text, printing and ‘packed by’ are slightly different: Purity 95%, Germ. 60% March 1973, Crop Year 1972, Origin Maine: Packed by Wild Island Seeds, The Farm House, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625. Flower packets: Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum): No date packed etc. Blue Flag (Iris versicolor): No date packed etc, but an Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Evening Primrose (Onothera biennis): No date packed etc. Beach Pea (Lathyrus japponics): Empty envelope, no crop year etc. Lupine (Lupinus perennis): No crop year etc. Cattail (Typha latifolia): No crop year etc., sealed but seems empty. Blueberry (Vaccinium augustifolium): No date crop year etc., envelope stained. There are 5 small manila envelopes with handwritten labels: Beach Pea, Wild Rose, Blue Flag, Seaside Goldenrod, and Bunchberry. Inside a sixth, larger manila envelope (labelled in red ink: ‘Begonia seeds’) are 5 folded, white paper packets, only two of which are labelled: "Pink and white from Christmas cactus pot", and "Deep Red".
Cardboard boxes: First box (D) labeled “M.D. Apothecary” contains 59 green and white paper packets of Rhubarb (Rhabarbarum) seeds, “Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625”, no crop year etc., but Acadia Shops sticker (no bar code) $1.50 on reverse. Second box (E) contains 99 green and white paper packets of Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana) seeds: Purity 80%, Germination 30% March 1994, Crop year 1992, Origin Tennessee, Packed by Wild Island Farm, Cranberry Isles, Maine 04625, no sticker on reverse.
Documents (F): 1970 to 1995, including 1992 correspondence with Aroostook Testing and Consulting Laboratory in Presque Isle, Maine, shows Polly submitted several varieties of tree seeds from Cranberry Island for testing and received germination rates for each. Information on how and when to gather seeds. Statements and business registration information.
Newspaper article “Polly Forbes Johnson Storey: A Spirit of Independence” (Bar Harbor Times, October 21, 1976). Several letters from visitors who purchased the seeds at local hotels and wanted advice. Two loose 2"x2" square water color sketches of cranberry and fireweed. One 6"x8" color photograph of Polly Storey by Dick Berggren.
Creator:
Polly Storey Collection- Wild Island Farms 1975
Materials:
Plants
Other Images
1
Citation
Polly Storey Collection- Wild Island Farms 1975, “Wild Island Farm seed collection,” Great Cranberry Island Historical Society, accessed April 28, 2024, https://gcihs.digitalarchive.us/items/show/2090.Catalogue # 2015.319.2080