BIG JOE PATHFINDER 



Big Joe, Joe and Joe Johnson are all names 

 that have been given to this fine old variety. 

 Big Joe makes a strong, vigorous plant growth. 

 The individual plants are quite large and 

 usually do not need spacing. The plants are 

 moderately productive and under favorable 

 conditions may be very productive. The ber- 

 ries are large and of very fine quality. A bril- 

 liant red flesh color, prominent red to yellow 

 seeds and a big green cap combine to make a 

 very showy and attractive berry. Big Joe ber- 

 ries are fairly firm and in this shipping section 

 of Maryland they have for years sold well on 

 local auction markets, outselling Catskill much 

 of the time. 



Reports from growers on Big Joe are usually 

 very good or very bad. Under conditions which 

 suit it, Big Joe is a very fine midseason berry — 

 next to Catskill in all around value. The weak- 

 ness of Big Joe is that it isn't always a heavy 

 producer. It is quite susceptible to frost injury. 

 A heavy frost or light freeze may kill the crop. 

 A medium or light frost may '"nip"' the blossoms 

 just enough to make a lot of misshapen berries 

 with hard, knotty green ends. But keep Big 

 Joe away from frost and it will give really re- 

 markable results. 



If you are a Big Joe grower, be careful of 

 mixed plants. We are positive that our stock 

 is straight, but there are dozens of farmers in 

 this section who have F>ig Joe thoroughly mixed 

 with Lupton. As both are good varieties here 

 and nearly the same season, they don't try very 

 hard to get them straight. We have seen so 

 nuich of this particular mixture that we have 

 been extra careful on these varieties and can 

 supply you from a stock that is straight. Price 

 list, page 35. 



Culver 



A New York State introduction. 

 Does better here than any of 

 the other New York State varie- 

 ties except Catskill. The plants are very vigor- 

 ous and healthy and the berries are large, beau- 

 tiful red color with bright green caps. The 

 berries are fairly tii-m. considerably darker in 

 <ol(>r than the Clermont, and red to the center. 

 ^Vorth trying. Pilce list, page o'*. 



In one of the early tests at the New Haven 

 Connecticut Experiment Station, Dr. D. F. 

 Jones reported yields at the rate of 15,000 

 quarts per acre from Pathfinder. "Pathfinder 

 was the outstanding variety of the 1939 tests," 

 he says, "and in three years in Connecticut, 

 yields of Pathfinder have always been equal 

 to or larger than Premier." And in 1940 Path- 

 finder even outyielded Catskill at the same 

 station. 



Pathfinder (N. J. 25) was originated by Prof. 

 J. Harold Clark. It proved its value in New 

 .Tersey in extensive tests with commercial grow- 

 ers in that state before being named and re- 

 leased for general introduction. 



The outstanding thing about Pathfinder is 

 its tremendous productiveness. If we were asked 

 to name the four most productive varieties of 

 strawberries without regard to any other factors 

 they would be Premiei'. Catskill. Dresden and 

 Pathfinder, with no attempt to rank these four 

 except to group them at the top. 



The heavy yields of Pathfinder are made pos- 

 sible by an miusually healthy and vigorous plant 

 growth — plenty of new plants are made — large 

 strong ones. 



The berries are uniform in shape, almost 

 round as shown in the picture. The caps are 

 small but attractive in the north, but become 

 dry and brown in hot dry seasons further 

 South. 



In the North the berries are a very attractive 

 light red and ripen evenly all over. In Maryland 

 they do not ripen evenly, many berries exposed 

 to the sun become quite dark on the exposed 

 side before the ground side colors at all. 



With us the berries are quite soft and rather 

 poor in quality. As with Premier, however, 

 when planted further Xortb the herries im- 

 prove both in quality and firmness. 



In sections where tlie new red stele disease 

 lias become established growers may find an- 

 other reason foi- setting I'athlinder, It is 

 miusually resistant to red stele. 



>Vhile it cannot be recommended for the 

 Southern states. Pathfinder should certainly be 

 tried out by Northern growers who have a fairly 

 heavy fertile soil, a nearby market, and who 

 want maximum production. Price list, page 80. 



Massey 



A new midseason variety 

 from North Carolina (OlSi. 

 Plants very vigorous,. Ber- 

 ries very high quality, large size, light red color 

 nd quite tirni. Moderately productive. 



Pathfinder Berries; 



36 



