STRAWBERRIES 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES 



It will be my aim in writing the description of varie- 

 ties which we are listing in this our 26 Annual Cata- 

 logue to make them as brief as possible and at the 

 same time to make every description as truthful and 

 plain as possible as the variety has behaved on our 

 farms and trial beds together with the reports received 

 from our customers and the Experiment Stations thru- 

 out the Country. It will be impossible for me to write 

 descriptions of "all that will compare with yours, as but 

 few varieties do the same in all localities. Here I want 

 to insist once more on the importance of every straw- 

 berry grower having every year a test plot of New va- 



rieties to be tested out with the best old standard sorts. 

 Xo business ever gets beyond an experimental stage, 

 and the Strawberry business is no exception. It is only 

 by planting and testing on our own grounds that we 

 can ever expect to keep up with the procession. The 

 best investments I have ever made has been by buying 

 and testing new varieties. Although I have spent hun- 

 dreds of dollars in time for worthless seedlings, and ex- 

 pect to go on doing the same as long as I live and able 

 to do business, as there is no other way for me to know 

 whether I am growing the best or not except I test 

 them on my own soil. 



TOWNSENDS' SELECT MISSIONARY 



What the Premier is to the rest of the country 

 Townsends Missionary seems to be to the Southern 

 States from Florida to Maryland. This variety was in- 

 troduced by us into the State of Florida in 1908 and has 

 been growing in popularity every year since. It seems 

 that no variety we can find will equal it for the Florida 

 Growers. For this reason alone we have tried our very 

 best to build a strain of the Townsends Missionary un- 

 equalled by any others and feel sure from the hundreds 

 of reports being received from the State of Florida that 

 we have not failed. We practice both the selection and 

 restriction methods in growing our Missionary plants, 

 and needless to say that the most up-to-date Florida 

 Growers, will accept no other as long as they can get 

 Townsend's Selected Stock. 



The Missionary is not only popular in the State of 

 Florida, but in all other Southern States and even in 

 Maryland and Delaware it is a very profitable variety 

 to grow on account of its great shipping qualities and 

 sure crops. Not as prolific as the Premier, or as good 

 to eat, but a fancy market variety that has come to stay. 

 We have nearly 100 acres planted to Townsends Mis- 

 sionary this time and hope to have enough plants to go 



around. Season begins for shipping plants to Florida 

 October 1st and closes April 15th. During this time 

 from 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 Missionary plants are 

 shipped every year. We have a special Packing House 

 to handle this large Missionary business. This year 

 every Townsend Missionary plant set in our propagating 

 fields was first selected from Selected Stock. Nothing 

 but virgin soil was used to set the plants in. Rows 

 made four to four and half feet wide and plants set 

 three and half to four feet in the rows, giving every 

 plant plenty of space to develop a strong hardy crown 

 and root system. "Townsends Select plants cost more 

 but thev are worth it." WE ARE ALWAYS HEAD- 

 QUARTERS FOR TOWNSENDS SELECTED MIS- 

 SIONARY PLANTS. Our books are always open. We 

 book your orders any month in the year and ship at 

 proper planting time when you are ready, from October 

 1st to April 15th. Every grower will be offered the 

 chance to win another $100.00 from the 1926 planting. 

 The grower sending in the best report on quantity of 

 berries produced and amount received in profits. The 

 extra effort will pay you even though but one can win 

 the prize. 



A New Ground Field of Townsend's Select Missionary Plants. 



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