ONE LETTER OUT OF THOUSANDS LIKE IT 



Beaver Dams, N. Y.. Aug. 10, 1906 

 Kellogg Co., 

 Three Rivers, Mich. 

 Gentlemen: 



In April, 1905, I set out one-thirteenth of an 

 acre to strawberries. One-third of this patch was 

 set out to Armstrongs, Brandywines and Samples, 

 taken from an old run-out patch of berries that had 

 been fruited for several years. 



The remaining two-thirds were set out to your 



Thoroughbred plants. The varieties were Parson's 



Beauty, Sample, Aroma and Klondike. The soil 



was moderately rich clay loam, the plants were 



cultivation, kept free of weeds, and grown in the single-hedge system. I 



plants in August by white grubs. 



THURSTON'S PATCH OF "PEDIGREES" 



given good 

 lost about 100 



In November I scattered eight wheelbarrow loads of well-rotted horse-manure on this 

 patch, then mulched with oat and buckwheat straw. Removed mulch from top of row in 

 April, and soon after the fruit buds started, we had a freeze that I thought had put me out 

 of strawberries for this year at least. The fruit stalks were frozen so badly that they all 

 turned black, and withered up just below the blossom buds. But in a few days up came 

 more fruit stalks, and the crop looked promising again. Then just as they were getting 

 white with bloom, we had two more frosts in succession. During the frost I had part of 

 the patch covered up and kept fire around the plants that were not covered, but with little 

 success, as nearly all the blossoms turned black and dropped off. At this time I felt quite 

 discouraged, but after a week of good weather, I noticed a large number of new fruit stems 

 starting from the crowns and I began to think there was no such thing as downing a 

 Thoroughbred strawberry plant. 



The remainder of the season was very favorable. We picked our first berries June 

 16; last picking was July 10; in all 518 quarts, which sold for $51.60, all disposed of at our 

 door, and we were unable to supply half the demand. Just sell a quart of those big red 

 fellows, and the next day the purchaser would be back and want a bushel. Seeing that 

 this is my first experience with strawberries, and that I only had a few minutes to devote 

 to their care, morning and evening, as I am a railroad man and work twelve hours per day, 

 Sunday included, I feel very much encouraged by the results obtained, and have one- 

 fourth acre set out this year to Thoroughbred plants, and at present writing they bid fair 

 to be record breakers. 



And now a few words about Pedigree Plants. The eight rows of my patch that were 

 taken from an old bed were fully double the care that the sixteen rows of Thoroughbreds 

 were. The former seemed to make a good foliage growth and as plant makers they surely 

 never had an equal. In fact, keeping the runners off those eight rows was the worst of my 

 trouble. They put forth very few fruit stalks, especially after the frosts. And then when 

 it came to picking they were plainly outclassed. 



From the sixteen Thoroughbred rows we picked 408 quarts, and we did not even sort 

 them until the last picking, and the 110 quarts from the "other kind" of plants were nearly 

 all of an inferior size and quality. 



I would not attempt to raise strawberries without your Pedigree plants and your very 

 interesting and instructive and helpful magazine, any number of which is worth the yearly 

 subscription price. Yours truly, 



F. A. Thurston. 



Beaver Dams, Schuyler Co., N. Y. 



