THE STRAWBERRY APRIL 1906 



wheat, barle\', oats or rice which would 

 produce one grain more to each head, or 

 a corn which would produce an extra 

 kernel to each ear, a potato that will 

 add another potato to each plant, or an 

 apple, plum, orange or nut to each tree. 

 What would be the result? In five 

 staples only in the United States alone, 

 the inexhaustible forces of nature would 

 produce annually without effort and with- 

 out cost 5,200,000 extra bushels of corn, 

 15,000,000 of wheat, 20,000,000 of oats, 

 1,500,000 of barley, 21,000,000 of pota- 

 toes. But these vast possibilities are not 

 alone for one year, or for our own time 

 or race, but are beneficent legacies for 

 every man, woman and child who shall 

 ever inhabit the earth. 



Another Amateur's Experience 

 By Ada B. F. Parsons 



I HAVE advocated patronizing home 

 industries with much enthusiasm all 

 my life, but some recent annoying 

 experiences have led me to undergo a 

 change of feeling and a few more similar 

 ones will effect a thorough conversion. A 

 catalogue from a well-known strawberry 

 farm found its way to my reading table 

 and it found me in a receptive mood. 

 The attractive pages, so full of instruction, 

 convinced me that I wanted to experi- 

 ment with some of the varieties described 

 therein. 



Two years before I had ventured with 

 fear and trembling into strawberry cul- 

 ture. Two hundred plants from our 

 home nursery were transplanted and 

 tended with all possible care. They 

 grew and promised everything one could 

 wish. The bed was a perfect beauty and 

 we counted the days until we should reap 

 a harvest. The "gude mon" even 

 bought an extra Jersey cow on the 

 strength of his belief in these promises. 

 The children were promised strawbern,- 

 shortcake and Jersey cream to their heart's 

 content. 



Well, it would not be fair to say we 

 were disappointed; far from it, we picked 

 altogether two hundred quarts and were 

 it not characteristic of human nature to 

 always be wanting more in this world we 

 might have been content. "Aye there's 

 the rub. In this patch there were three 

 little spots, of perhaps a half-dozen vines 

 each, which grew berries equal to the 

 pictures in the catalogue afore mentioned. 

 We always carried a dish to the patch in 

 which to pick these separately to show to 

 the neighbors, and while our backs were 

 almost breaking in picking the small ber- 

 ries that resembled in size the wild ber- 

 ries, we couldn't help being provoked at 

 ourselves, our nurseryman and everyone 

 in general because we hadn't known 

 enough to buy all big varieties. The 

 possibilities of a patch such as ours, of 

 the fancy varieties could hardly be com- 



prehended, and our work would have been 

 identically the same. 



The fact that we had the only straw- 

 berries in the neighborhood and that all 

 who came and shared them with us re- 

 solved henceforth to grow their own 

 hardly compensated us for not knowing 

 how to have had better ones. But ex- 

 perience, coupled with the information 

 found in the catalogue, made the way clear, 

 and I called up our nurseryman over the 

 'phone. I was "chock full" of queries as 

 to varieties and his ability to furnish me 

 just so many of each and I would know 

 this time exactly what I was doing. But 

 like a dash of cold water was his courte- 

 ous reply that he could furnish and guar- 

 antee no separate varieties; that he had 



not found it practicable in the past to 

 keep them separate since so many people 

 didn't understand the principle of mating, 

 etc.! 



Such theories to come from a nursery- 

 man who virtually controls the supply of 

 the entire county is absurd, inconsistent 

 and very discouraging, when you reflect 

 how many people will buy of him, ex- 

 periment a season or two and eventually 

 give up in despair and declare that they 

 have no luck growing strawberries. 



What a boon to the farm world it would 

 be if The Strawberry could be placed in 

 the hands of every farmer who has any 

 aspirations towards living up to his privi- 

 leges! If he would allow himself to be- 

 come convinced that no more effort is re- 



Use this American Manure Spreader 



-%aj^ 



TO PROVE ALL THE CLAIMS WE MAKE FOR IT 



WE sell direct to you. 

 We sell direct to you because 

 we are able to give you much 

 better value for your money 

 than we otherwise could, and a better 

 understanding of your machine than any 

 one else could. We always keep in 

 close touch with our customers. They 

 tell us what our Spreaders are doing. 

 Sometimes they surprise even us. 



We find out just what it means to 

 countless farmers to own a Manure 

 Spreader that will double the value of 

 every bit of manure put on their land. 



The American Manure Spreader will 

 do this because it breaks up and pulver- 

 izes all the manure so that it mixes 

 readily with the soil. It distributes 

 evenly. Every square foot of land gets 

 its share. This means a good crop all 

 over the field. You don't find any 

 "skinned" places in a field manured 

 with the Ameri;an Spreader. 



But we don't ask you to take any 

 hearsay evidence. 



We want you to find out tor yourself 

 what our Miinure Spreader will do. 



So we make you this remarkable offer. 

 We will send you one of our Spreaders 

 on trial and prepay the freight. 



Use it a month on your own farm. 



If you find it exactly as we have re pre- 

 sented, after the month's free trial, you 

 can settle for the machine on terms 

 convenient for you. 



But,\t the American Manure Spreader 

 is not what we claim, send it back at 

 our expense. You don't owe us any- 

 thing. The trial don't cost you a 

 penny. The month's use you have had 

 of the Spreader is FREE. 



Could we do more to prove to you 

 that the American Manure Spreader is 

 what we say? Would we dare to make 

 such an offer if we didn't know what 

 our Spreader will do? Remember — 

 when you deal with us, you are doing 

 business with an independent concern. 



AMERICAN HARROW CO., 4533 Hastings St. Detroit, Mich. 



We do not belong to any Trust or 

 Conibinaiion. 



And by our plan of making and s&W- 

 ing direct, you get a dollars' worth of 

 Manure Spreader for every dollar you 

 pay. 



You see we make more Manure 

 Spreaders than any other concern in 

 the world. 



We own and operate the largest fac- 

 tory ever built for this purpose. 



It is equipped with every modern 

 labor-saving device. All our machinery 

 is up-to-date — the very "latest im- 

 proved". 



This means the best possible machines 

 at the lowest possible cost. 



The American Manure Spreader is 

 today an example of the very highest 

 development in modern agricultural 

 implements. 



It is absolutely up-to-date. 



The principles upon which it is con- 

 structed are sensible and practical. 



There are no complicated parts to get 

 out of order. It is simple, and carefully 

 constructed. 



And you take as much time as you require 

 to pay for the Spreader after you have used 

 it A MONTH FREE. 



The Spreader may earn its own cost, 

 before you send us a shilling:. 



Will you be as fair with us as we are will- 

 ing" to be with you ? 



Will ; ou send for information of our gener- 

 ous proposition today ? 



Even though you do not wish to buy now, 

 send for particulnrs. 



Some day you may wish to buy, and then 

 knowledge of our ^e\vScIlin:-l' Plan will come 

 in handy. You will know h'nv to save money. 



If you will tell us how much land you own, 

 and how many horses, cattle, sheep and 

 tiogrs you keep, we will grive you the Govern- 

 ment statistics as to the value of your manure 

 crop. 



Write to us today. Put down this paper 

 and write before the matter has a chance to 

 slip yoar memory. 



Address at once— 



Page 86 



