BIG JOE PATHFINDER 



A garage man here in Salisbury ad- 

 Yertises as "Next to the Best in Town." 

 Well, Big Joe is next to Catskill the best 

 and most popular midseason berry, 

 with both Dresden and Pathfinder look- 

 ing up and seeming to say "just wait 

 until more i)eople know me better." 



There are still plenty of places where Big Joe 

 is at its best that we wouldn't trade it for 

 Catskill or any other variety until they proved 

 themselves better. Big Joe is a fine old variety. 

 A vigorous grower, making strong, healthy plants 

 that are usually moderately productive, but very 

 productive under favorable conditions. 



The berries average very large, a beautiful 

 bright red in color, firm for berries so large, and 

 equal to the best of the older varieties in quality. 



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 Big 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 

 much 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. 



Dr. D. F. Jones of the New Haven Experiment 

 Station in his annual report of strawberry trials 

 says that, "Pathfinder is the outstanding straw- 

 berry in the 1939 test." "This variety combines 

 many of the good qualities of Premier and Aber- 

 deen, its parents. It not only produced the 

 largest yield, but was also especially attractive 

 in appearance of the fruit and maintained a good 

 size of berry throughout the picking season. It 

 ripened with the earliest but the largest picking 

 came four days later than Premier's largest. 

 In three years in Connecticut, one wet and two 

 dry, yields of Pathfinder have always been equal 

 .to or larger than Premier. In a two year old , 

 planting it produced 60% more fruit." Pro- [I 

 fessor J. Harold Clark, the originator, reports i 

 very gratifying results with Pathfinder among || 

 commercial berry growers in New Jersey. 



In three years' testing here at Salisbury we 

 have recognized the unusual vigor of plant 

 growth and the tremendous productiveness of 

 Pathfinder (N. J. No. 35), but felt that the . 

 berries, although they had a nice uniform shape, ; 

 were too dark, too dull looking and soft to be 

 commercially profitable. However, it seems that i 

 Pathfinder, like Premier, is much better farther i 

 north. At Mr. A. B. Plant's place near Bradford, i 

 Connecticut, last June we saw some very fine | 

 bright looking Pathfinder grown from plants ;| 

 we supplied in Spring 1938. The berries were J 

 somewhat earlier than Catskill but : 

 later than Premier, so could be rated 

 either second early or early mid- j 

 .season. 



From limited experience it seems j 

 Pathfinder is quite resistant to the 

 new red stele disease. This would , 

 be an added reason to test out this 

 variety thoroughly in states where 

 this trouble has been found. Any 

 berry with such vigor and produc- 

 tiveness rates a trial. Price list, i 

 page 35. • ' 



Culver 





Big Joe (much reduced) 



A New York State , 

 introduction. Doesj 

 better here than | 

 any of the other New York State! 

 varieties except Catskill. The plants; 

 are very vigorous and healthy and 

 the berries are large, beautiful red 

 color with bright green caps. The 

 berries are fairly firm, considerably 

 darker in color than the Clermont, 

 and red to the center. Worth try- { 

 ing. Price list, page 35. '' 



14 



