52 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



took my breath away. He said: "If I get as many berries 

 from that acre and a half as I do from half an acre of those 

 Crescent and Sucker States over there (pointing to one of his 

 large fields), I shall be well satisfied." 



" Why, I thought from the reports of reliable men that the 

 Jessie was the best berry yet brought out," I said. 



" Well," he answered, " these are not all Jessies, and I can 

 not say what the Jessie may amount to ; it may prove better 

 than what we have ; but I do say that my statement about the 

 average of new varieties will not come far from the truth." 



My next question was: " Why, then, do you fuss with 

 these new kinds at all? " 



"Oh! "he said, "I want to test them, so as to know 

 whether any thing better than we have does come along ; and 

 then, being in the business, I must have the plants to sell, of 

 all the newer varieties. People will have them." 



Mr. F. also remarked: "I can always tell when an order 

 received for plants is from a beginner, because such will order 

 many different kinds, while an old grower will send for but two 

 or three, and these of well-established merit." 



Mr. J. M. Smith stands by the old Wilson berry yet, for 

 his main crop, although many other much lauded kinds have 

 been tried by him. There must be a great deal of money paid 

 out for these new varieties that are brought out every year, 

 with, as Prof. Henry says, only a " catalog reputation " behind 

 them, and much of it comes from green hands at the business. 

 I could give you the experiences of other well-known growers 

 on a large scale (who get their living from selling berries), 

 right in this same line. They stick to the old standard kinds 

 like the Wilson, Crescent, Sbarpless, Downing, etc. I asked 

 Mr. Farnsworth if some of the larger varieties like the Sharp- 

 less, Bubach, etc., would not pay him better. He said they 

 would often bring more money per bushel ; but after years of 

 watching and trial he was sure that the Crescents yet brought 

 him the most dollars per acre, for his market, as they outyield 



