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Will catalog 1925 front cover
SHSND# 10190The catalog made a huge step in 1920 with four color plates inserted inside the catalog. Two of these pictures featured vegetables. One is of a smiling farmer holding a cabbage (facing page 16). A Sweet Corn picture is printed opposite page 18.
The catalog covers continued to be illustrated with historic Mandan agriculture pictures, often with pioneers or Lewis and Clark appearing to receive seeds or crops from the Mandan. The essays and illustrations must have constituted a wonderful history lesson for readers around the region.
The 1927 catalog featured new vegetables developed by ND Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) scientists at NDAC. The strong influence of Professor A. F. Yeager among the state’s horticulturists becomes evident at this time. The catalog featured Sunshine Sweet Corn, the Red River Tomato, and Surehead Chinese Cabbage – all NDAC products. Sunshine ripened ten days earlier than Golden Bantam and had larger ears; Surehead Chinese cabbage “withstands heat and adverse conditions.” (pp. 24, 22). The Red River tomato was the first to receive unrestrained praise from the Will Company:
As early as the earliest and the most solid, meaty early sort we have ever had in trial. At the Canadian Experiment station at Morden, Manitoba, it outyielded all other sorts in 1925. It has been produced from Carter’s Sunrise, a small very meaty greenhouse variety and one of North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station’s selections of Earliana, by Professor A. F. Yeager of the NDAC. Red River is one of the earliest sorts and bears slightly flattened, smooth fruits of medium size, bright scarlet color, solid meat and splendid flavor.