22 



W. F. Allen's Plant and Seed Catalogue, Salisbury, Md. 



VIRG-INIA. — This bei-i-y is a native of Accomac 

 Co., Va., fi-om wliioh State it takes 

 its uaiiK'. aud is one of ttie beiTics that captured my 

 offer of $100.00 for the best dozen plants of any unin- 

 troduced variety sent me in the spring of ]r)03. It 

 fruited witli me and captured tlie prize in tlie spring 

 of 1904, In points of earliness it is three or four days 

 behind Excelsior : in some tests it has proved equally 

 as early, but is .u;enerally three or four days later. The 

 Virginia is very productive of good size early lierries. 

 While it is not of tlie firmest, it is firm enough to malie 

 a good shipping berr.v, and being uniformly of good size 

 and bright glossy red color, it can be depended' on to 

 bring good price in marliet. The Virginia is said to be 

 a cross between the great shipping berry Hoffman and 

 the old favorite Sharpless : this is surel.v most excel- 

 lent parentage, and the Virginia to a great degree 

 combines the good qualities of botii. The foliage, wliile 

 distinct, is similar to the Hoffman, but is larger and 

 stronger. The plants make a good growth, with plenty 

 of runners, and never show any rust. A Kentucky cus- 

 toiner writes : "The Virginia has healthy foliage and 

 was very prolific : extra early and large for so early a 

 berry." Geo. F. Thayer, of Idaho, says : "The Vir- 

 ginia produces a great crop, so much so that I set out 

 this fall all the plants I had." The proprietor of the 

 New York Fruit Store at St. .lohnsburg, Vermont, 

 writes : "The Virginia and Marshall were the best of 

 all for fancy prices." Joseph C. Watson, of Accomac 

 Co., Va., writes : "I think the Virginia is tlie best of 

 the'five varieties that I have tested this year. It makes 



a fine lot of plants ; beautiful, glossy ber- 

 ries, and continues to bear longer than 

 any of the others." An Illinois customer 

 says : "Your Virginia is a grand berry. 

 I am delighted with it. We have an or- 

 ganization of berry growers hereof about 

 seveaty members, and I was the only one 

 that had it, and I sometimes got tired 

 ti'lling the bo.', s the name of it, as there 

 was always someone asking the name 

 and all kind of questions about it. You 

 will get lots of orders from here." A 

 New .Jersey customer says : "The berry 

 crop was a complete failure, although 

 some Virginia set in my garden did ex- 

 ceptionally well." We na .e many other 

 leUers saying good things of the Virginia. 

 Ml-. Cusiis, wno recen'td the $100.00 

 ijri/.e 'for the dozen plants, says that he 

 picKed 1:^,000 quarts per acre of the Vir- 

 ginia, not estimated from a small plot, 

 Out from an actual acre. It is an all- 

 around good l)erry and should be grown 

 in thinly matted rows, and will do better 

 un medium slift or springy laud than on 

 a very light soil. 



NORWOOD. — This berry, which has 

 been represented to 

 be such a monster in size, was origin- 

 ated by Mr. N. B. White, of Norwood, 

 Mass., who describes it as follows : "The 

 Norwood was named and given first prize 

 by the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety at its exhibition in lOOO. The 

 strawberry is supposed to be a cross of 

 iUarshall and (.'orsicau. as it came up 

 where the Marshall had been grown, and 

 near where Corsican was grown at the 

 same time. The plant is strong and 

 healthy, making a liberal number of 

 strong runners, but not excessive. The 

 berry is conic and regular in shape, not 

 a coxconilu'd berry was found this sea- 

 son. The (luality is unsurpassed and the 

 size unequaled, some attaining the enor- 

 mous . size of three inches in diameter. 

 Four such berries would fill a box and be 

 crowded. Color, bright red all the way 

 through, growing darker with age; It is. 

 urm. a good keeper and will ship well ; 

 has a perfect blossom and holds its size 

 well through the season and remains la 

 bearing for a long time. 1 picked the 

 first box .June IS and the last one July 

 lb. The largest berries were found in 

 matted rows, although the plants had 

 received no extra culture." I bought 100 

 plants of Norwood two years ago, for 

 which I paid $40.00. From the 100 I 

 only made a little more than 500 plants, 

 which were all dug and planted. I have, 

 therefore, not fruited the berry yet. The 

 foliage resembles the Marshall very much, 

 and the illustrations that have been sent 

 out I am quite sure have been very much 

 I have several thousand plants that must 

 as they came direct from the originator, 

 which we wiil supply to any who want them. It will 

 be interesting for those who. are interested In very 

 large berries to plant a few, but I shall be surprised, 

 and pleased if it is half as good as has been claimed. 

 I hope to be able another season to say more about it 

 personally, and I shall be pleased if I can report that 

 a portion of the fabulous claims made for it can be 

 realized. 



♦ *. 



% CHESAPEAKE FINE. WIFE ALLOWS * 



!|* NO ONE ELSE TO PICK THEM. T 



% Chester Co., Pa., Oct. 14, 1909. % 

 % W. P. Allen, Salislmry, Md. % 

 A. Dear Sir— The spring of 1908 I bought 50 i. 

 v«, Chesapeake strawberry plants of you and took ^ 

 jl no extra care of them, but when they began to 

 A ripen, then I was sorry for my neglect. They 

 Si were certainly fine. My wife would allow no 

 A one to pick them but herself, and I think they 

 ^ will keep the much-boasted "Norwood," of 

 >♦« New York State, hustling to beat them in bear- 

 s'; ing quality and long season. I remain, yours 

 ♦J. truly, .TAMES I. ESSICK. 



overdrawn 

 be genuine 



