A WORD TO MY rRBENDS 

 AND CUSTOMERS. 



/THIRTEEN YEARS AGO this spring the writer borrowed 

 * §15.00 from a friend in Philadelphia, to pay for 2000 May 

 King and 1000 Parry strawberry plants, with which to lay the 

 foundation for what is today the largest strawberry plant nur- 

 series in the world. Being a poor boy without means, and no one 

 who was directly interested in me being able to offer any substantial 

 assistance, I conceived the idea almo.-t at the start that the only way 

 for me to advance was to gire my customers such good stock in such good or- 

 der, and always full count, that once they dealt with me they would never buy 

 the stock that I offered from anyone ^>>.»'w'«,»s < m,Aum.mwm».«w'<.mwm,m,/m.»<<'v\ < m < »s*'».^ 

 else. This is still my rule and by ob- 

 serving it from the first I have been 

 able to build up the largest strawberry 

 plant trade in the world. w«v>/v«w««.««* .•..»«„.,.»«„■, .,».<•, .«.<■»,>,. <•„'<. »•»,•<.»•><•«.: 



I now have growing ab©ut 90 acres in strawberries, 70 of which are grown 

 •specially to supply plants to my customers. These plants are all in } oung beds; 

 I could not supply plants from old beds if you wanted them. My plants are 

 grown for plmts, and are given treatment that will best develop strong healthy 

 plants with an abundance of long healthy roots. These plants are grown on 

 light soil where plants can be dug almost any day from the time this catalogue 

 is received until the 10th of May. In digging plants in this soil you get all the 

 fibrous roots, which is very important, whereas when grown in stiff or clay 

 land a large portion of these small roots are broken off and the plant correspond- 

 ingly stunted. My plants are well manured with N. Y. City stable manure and 

 fertilizer in sufficient quantities to keep them growing in a healthy condition. 

 A Pennsylvania gentleman, traveling in the interest of The Farm Journal, 

 while passing my plant beds the first week in July, remarked to me that he 

 .r< 1 ('i.»v-w<,ruM.^,M./'i 1 «.cu«.(v« «.c(,» l c>,». ( 't,-: had rather have plants from that 



New London Co.. Conn.. April 16. 1898. 

 Mr. Allen. Dear Sir:— The plants arrived 

 today in good condition. I will know 

 where to get good plants when I want any 

 Yours respect nil It. A. M. Gray. 



C U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE. > 



} •i«»9ks iv» cw«vv9s. \ 



\ Nev. Uth, 1898. i 



1 W. F. Allen, Jr., Dear Sir : '} 

 ? The (7^,000) Strawberry \ 

 % Plants reached here this morning, ) 

 ,-■ on good time and in famous con- C 

 £ dition. The plant* themselves } 

 > are all that could be desired, and £ 

 i we are busy heeling them in — > 

 5 which is quite a job for our limit- i 

 £ ed force. b 

 ) Your prompt attention to the £ 

 £ filling and dispatch of our order > 

 ;- deserves special recognition and < 

 C the sincere thanks of b 

 } Yours very respectfully, c 



2 Wm. Saunders, S 

 "- Horticulturist, r 



patch than any he had ever seen. W« 



have the largest stock of strawberry 

 plants perhaps in the world, consisting 

 of the most popular new and standard 

 varieties. I do not ask you to take my 

 statement for this broad claim, but 

 invite everybody who is interested to 

 come and see for themselves. These 

 plants are all of my own growing. I do 

 not buy and sell, f GROW AND SELL, 

 and my prices are as low as good stock 

 can be sold for. There is no dealer's 

 profit added to my prices. I would be 

 pleased to have your order for anything 

 you may need in my line, and will 

 guarantee satisfaction. 



Yours faithfully, 



W. F ALLEN, JR. 



Salisbury, Md. 



Perry & Heern, Nurserymen's Printers, Salisbury, Md. 



