Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. is a

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

company based in

Louisiana, Missouri Louisiana is a city in Pike County, Missouri, Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,364 at the 2010 census. Louisiana is located in northeast Missouri, on the Mississippi River, south of Hannibal, Missouri, Hannibal. Louisiana ...

, that specializes in growing and selling fruit trees to home gardeners and commercial orchardists. The company was the original marketer of the

Red Delicious Red Delicious is a type of apple with a red exterior and sweet taste that was first recognized in Madison County, Iowa, in 1872. Today, the name ''Red Delicious'' comprises more than 50 cultivars. From 1968 to 2018, it was the most produced cu ...

and

Golden Delicious 'Golden Delicious' is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to 'Red Delicious'. History Golden Delicious arose from a chance seedling, possibly a hybrid of 'Gri ...

apples.

History

In 1816, James Hart Stark moved from Kentucky to

. He brought with him a bundle of apple scions. From his bundle he started a nursery business, which was officially incorporated in 1889. In 1893, Stark Bro's held their first International New Fruit Fair. Jesse Hiatt, who owned an orchard in Peru, Iowa, sent samples of his fruit to compete in the contest for the best new fruit. Hiatt's apples won the judging, but his nametag could not be found. He submitted samples of the same apple the following year and won again. This, time there was a nametag and the apples could be identified. The Stark brothers traveled to the Hiatt farm and bought the rights to the

apple in 1894. In 1914, the Stark

apple was discovered and developed. The original tree was found on the Mullins' family farm in Clay County, West Virginia and was locally known as Mullin's Yellow Seedling and Annit apple. Anderson Mullins sold the tree and propagation rights to Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co., which first marketed it as a companion to their

apple in 1914. They collaborated with

Luther Burbank Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations inc ...

who willed over 750 of his varieties to the company. In June 2001 the possibility of closure to Stark Brothers Nurseries,

's oldest and largest employer, famous worldwide for the fruit trees it grew and sold was a reality. However, the alarm was short-lived. By fall of that year, Stark Bro's was back as two separate business Stark Bro's Fulfillment Services and Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards.

Presidents

*James Hart Stark *William Watts Stark *Clarence McDowell Stark *Edgar Winfred Stark *Clay Hamilton Stark *Edwin Jackson Stark *John Stark Logan *Clay Stark Logan *Cameron G. Brown

Current Operation

Stark Bro’s has three main business areas: e-Commerce/Mail-Order, Wholesale and the retail Garden Center. The operations include: *250 growing acres in Louisiana *427 growing acres in Atlas, IL *1 million cubic feet of climate-controlled warehouse space *1 million cubic feet of non-refrigerated work/storage area *1.7 million cubic feet of cold storage *5 acres of greenhouses *30,000 square feet of office space One million trees per year are shipped from Stark Bro’s facilities.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards
Official WebsitePlants Nursery
Plant nurseries Pike County, Missouri