The Billy Hepler Seed Company
 

I found the charming story below about a seedman who was operating in the fifties. When I googled his name, I saw that he has been credited with introducing many veggies carried by SSE:

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]Six hundred dollars a year profit is what Billy Hepler, twelve-year-old New Hampshire farmer makes a year. Billy refuses orders for his Tiny Tim tomato seeds if they'll put him over the six-hundred-dollar mark because then he'd have income-tax troubles, and this is just too weighty a problem, he believes. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]

Billy's father, Professor J. R. Hepler, who wrote the introduction to this chapter, developed the Tiny Tim plant and Billy, unknown to anyone, decided to sell the seeds. Writing to a large New York firm, he offered them the seeds at eighty dollars a pound; they immediately purchased a pound in reply to Billy's letter, which carried a hand printed letterhead reading, "The Billy Hepler Seed Company." Billy signs himself "Secretary and Treasurer." [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]Tiny Tim seeds, planted in August, are transplanted into pots and the plants are then grown in the house. They produce tiny fruit about an inch in diameter making not only a bright Christmas plant, but producing nourishing, delicious tomatoes. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]This year Billy has had printed a small, professional appearing catalogue. A single sheet of paper folded three times, it features a picture of Billy standing before a pile of various types of squashes, and the caption of the cut is, "Billy Hepler, America's Youngest Seed Grower." In addition to the Tiny Tim tomato seeds, the catalogue offers popcorn of the rainbow and popinjay varieties. Note Billy's colorful names; Billy doesn't miss a trick. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]He also lists four varieties of sweet corn; seven of tomatoes; thirteen of string beans; two of squashes and three of watermelons. He often starts a description of a new seed with: A Billy Hepler Seed Company Introduction. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000099]Billy grows all of his own seeds and when it comes time to harvest the tomatoes Billy hires his schoolmates to help him. The tomatoes are picked whether they are rotten or not because, according to Billy, even the rotten ones give good seeds. Billy averages eight hundred pounds of tomatoes to a thousand plants. This doesn't sound like very much but the fruit is very tiny. The Tiny Tim tomatoes are put in a barrel and Billy, with his rubber boots on, stamps and stomps on them until they are mashed up "real good."

Next he adds water and lets them ferment for a few days, after which the pulp is removed and the seeds, which have settled in the bottom of the barrel, are taken out to dry. First the seeds must be cleaned in six to eight washings to remove the dirt or acid. Next they are laid on paper to dry; paper is more absorbent than the screens that most seed growers use, says Billy. A particularly recalcitrant seed has to be dried by means of an electric fan, but for the most part the sun does the job. The only time Billy ever had any seeds sour on him was this year when an automobile accident laid him low with a broken leg.

[URL]http://www.profitfrog.com/money-at-home/chapter-7.htm[/URL]

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reply
 

That is a great story! That kid will probably more successful that most of us by the age of 18. :lol:
Kat

He was quite the little hustler, wasn't he? As nearly as I can calculate, he would be in his sixties by now.

I'd love to know if he stayed in the seed business or went on to do something else. Given his marketing talent, he should have ended up on Madison Avenue in the advertising business, but I'll bet he was wildly successful at whatever he did.

I will always wonder if his father was pleased or peeved when he found out Billy had sold a pound of the Tiny Tim seeds without asking permission first.

Jan

Did some Google searches but could not find any further history or information.

Orange Chatham - Breeder: Dept. of Hort. University of New Hampshire, Durham. Vendor: Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: Chatham x Orange King. Characteristics: extremely early determinate plant with orange fruit. Similar: Chatham. Adaptation: regionally to northern areas of short season. N.H. Agric. Expt. Sta. Bul. 380:6 1950. 1946

NCSU Cultivar Lists J - R: [URL]http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/tomatojr.html[/URL]

Billy Hepler Seed Co. lima bean offerings:

Cowey Red - Breeder: Mr. Cowey, a private gardener, York, Maine. Vendor: Billy Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: selection from Hendersons Lima. Characteristics: dark-red seed coat color. Resistance: cold weather, decay in the soil. Adaptation: northern New Hampshire. 1946.

Winfield - Breeder: Ms. Winfield, Painted Post, N.Y. Vendor: Billy Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: Cowey Lima x Christmas Lima. Characteristics: earliness, adaptation to cool weather, excellent canning and freezing qualities for the home garden; a pole lima that ripens seed in New Hampshire. Similar: Christmas Lima

[URL]http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/beanlima.html[/URL]

Another tomato offering from Billy Hepler Seed Co. was Window Box.

Window Box - Breeder: Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham. Vendor: Billy Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: Redskin x Dwarf Champion. Characteristics: very early, oval, medium size, red fruit borne on a dwarf determinate plant. Adaptation: regionally to the northern United States.

[URL]http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/tomatosz.html[/URL]

[FONT=Mangal][SIZE=5]Royal Purple Pod Beans: [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial Narrow][SIZE=3]Bred by the University of New Hampshire by the late Professor Elwyn Meander. Introduced by the [B]Billy Hepler Seed Company[/B] in 1957. Distinctive purple foliage and purple flowers. Stringless, 5” slightly curved, tender round pods, cook to green. Bush Habit. 55 days from transplant.” SSE[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[URL]http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:nw5qYs3lbakJ:blog.seacoasteatlocal.org/__oneclick_uploads/2008/05/heirloom-tomato-plant-descriptions-2008.doc+billy+hepler+new+hampshire&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us[/URL]

[B]White Mountain (Watermelon)[/B] - Breeder: Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham. Vendor: Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: Favorite Honey x Dakota Sweet. Characteristics: midget size, striped, thin rind, red flesh, numerous tan seeds. Similar: Favorite Honey. N.H. Bul 380. 1950.

[URL]http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wmelon/wmculttz.html[/URL]

And I'm wondering if Paul Hepler is Billy Hepler's uncle:idea:

[URL]http://www.library.umaine.edu/speccoll/FindingAids/HeplerPaulRpapers.htm[/URL]

[quote=travis;116929]Winfield - Breeder: Ms. Winfield, Painted Post, N.Y. Vendor: Billy Hepler Seed Co. Parentage: Cowey Lima x Christmas Lima. Characteristics: earliness, adaptation to cool weather, excellent canning and freezing qualities for the home garden; a pole lima that ripens seed in New Hampshire. Similar: Christmas Lima.[URL="http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/beanlima.html"][/URL][/quote]

Very intriguing!
Painted Post is in my backyard, kinda!
I need to look into this further.

Thanks for posting!

<Woodchuck>