

8. 'W. "^owNSEND & Jons' Jfawberry Tlants 



19 



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plenty rime to get its full strength and fully 



matured. 



You can not always tell a good fruitful plant at 



sight. Any more than you can tell good seed 



by looking into the bag. Nor any more than 



you can tell the laying quality of the chicken by 



looking at the egg. 



A Strawberry plant may be large enough in size 

 and at the same time be a weakling. Any strain 

 of plants that is grown for years and years with- 

 out restriction and the whole bed taken up and 

 reset year after year, will soon run down in 

 productiveness until they are almost worthless. 

 This running out question is all uncalled for. 

 No variety ever runs down in productiveness if 

 it is properly handled under the rule of proper 

 restriction. But on the other hand there are 

 but few varieties originated that cannot be made 

 more fruitful by proper restriction and handling. 



The careless plant breeder has two reasons for 

 not caring for his stock. First, ninety percent 

 of the growers do not know how to preserve the 

 productiveness of a plant, or how to increase 

 its productiveness. Second, a productive strain 

 of plants will not increase or multiply as fast as 

 the common run down strain. As quantity is 

 what they are after they get more of it from the 

 run down strain than from the bred up strain. 

 They just simply talk quality plants and grow 

 them the easiest way possible. Sorry to say it. 

 But it is a fact nevertheless. There are a 

 majority of strawberry growers in the country 

 that care more for price than quality. How any 

 grower can go on year after year without seeing 

 this mistake is more than I can explain. 



The fact that the average yield per acre, taking 

 the country as a whole, is less than 2,500 quarts, 

 is proof of my statement. 



If every grower would use the best productive 

 plants and grow them the ordinary way, just as 

 they are growing them now. The yield would 

 come up to at least double the present average, 

 or 5,000 quarts per acre. 



To make doubly sure that all our standard 

 varieties are being kept up to the standard in 

 quality and productiveness. We make yearly 

 tests in fruiting plots. And not a single variety 

 we are growing but what is producing larger 

 crops today than they did years ago when we 

 first fruited them. To illustrate our yield on 

 Klondyke (counted a shy bearer) last season was 

 6,500 quarts per acre. This was about 2,500 

 quarts better than it was ten years ago. This 

 was under just ordinary culture. No acre of 

 Klondyke properly grown on good soil an aver- 

 age year should produce less than 6,500 quarts 

 We have found this variety to run down very 

 fast if allowed to go that way. Some varieties 

 will hold up longer than others without proper 

 breeding. But all need proper attention and 



proper selection every year to do their best. 

 And it pays any grower big dividends to know 

 that he is getting the best productive strain 

 money can buy. As it costs no more to grow 

 an acre of the best strain than an acre of the 

 poorest. And certainly the profits will be more 

 than doubled. The first cost of plants should 

 be the least consideration. 



After the Crop is Grown Another 



Very Important Point is to Make 



Your Berries as Attractive as 



Possible. 



By making the berries attractive, I do not mean 

 to put all the big ones on top. This method is 

 one of the biggest mistakes any grower ever 

 made. He is only fooling himself. 



The proper way to make an attractive pack, is 

 to put just as good berries in the bottom layers 

 and in the bottom of the basket as on top. 

 This kind of a mark will soon attract buyers. 

 The dealer will soon gain confidence in you and 

 will pay you more money. His trade will call 

 for your berries and be willing to pay most any 

 price to get them. An honest pack is your best 

 advertisement. 



Any ore who has good garden soil, and is near 

 enough to a good market can make big money 

 growing strawberries if they will follow these 

 simple rules. The great DEL-MAR-VA Pen- 

 insula, of which our plant farms are a part is 

 the largest strawberry section in the World. 

 Although there are practically every kind of a 

 truck crop grown here successfully. We find 

 that the most prosperous farmers here are the 

 ones who stick to growing berries and put most 

 their time to this occupation. In talking to a 

 crate manufacturer the other day he stated that 

 he did not mind advancing credit to a strawberry 

 grower for crates. For he was always sure to 

 get his money. 



I will say this much, in thirty years in growing 

 strawberries. I have never failed to make a 

 profit any year. I cannot truthfully say this of 

 any other crop. 



Mrs. Sargent makes over $1,000.00 from half 



acre. Mrs. Mary Sargent of Vermont writes — I was about 

 all done with strawberries until I received your catalogue 

 several years ago and read it over. I concluded to try it 

 once more. I had half acre prepared according to your 

 instructions and set one-half or 2,000 plants of it to your 

 ever-bearing plants and balance of 2,000 plants to your 

 Premier. Last year I picked and sold to my neighbors and 

 local store 2,400 quarts of strawberries from the ever- 

 bearing, at an average price of 25c per quart, receiving 

 $600 for the crop. Last spring I picked from the 2.000 

 Premier plants over 2,500 quarts and received over $400. 

 My ever-bearing plants are now coming into bearing again 

 and look just as good as they did last summer, and my 

 customers are just waiting for the berries to come along. 



