Another Year, 1913. 
We greet our friends at this begin- 
Tiing of a new season with thanks for 
tlie past and good wishes for tlie fu- 
ture, and present our modest catalog 
as c? message from an old friend. 
Oux Mr. M. Crawford has been plant- 
ing and caring for strawberries for 
fifty-sev^n years, and selling plants 
forty-six years. A third of a century 
ago he sent out his first catalog. Its 
plain honesty and sincerity won for 
it a kindly reception, and we may 
say without egotism that the Craw- 
ford catalogs have been issued in the 
same spirit during aU these interven- 
ing years. 
In 1900 the firm of M. Crawford 
Company was organized, and under 
the new name the old policy has been 
■continued. 
It has been our aim to do a careful 
and satisfactory retail business, 
rather than to carry on a large w'aole- 
sale trade, which could not be done 
profitably in a manufacturing center 
like ours, where the shops and mills 
require the services of tens of thous- 
ands of employes. Help is scarce 
and costly, but we have succeeded 
fairly well in securing the moderate 
amount needed for our business. 
We have had many successful 
years, and a few that were otherwise. 
The weather has much to do with our 
prosperity, and occasionally it has 
shown us its worst side. Last year it 
was ideal for plant growth, but an- 
other enemy appeared, an unexplain- 
able scourge of white grubs, which we 
have learned were very destructive 
in many sections. They made such 
havoc in our plantation that we find 
ourselves back in the days of small 
things — beginning over, as it were — 
pricing plants by the dozen and hun- 
dred, when we have been accustomed 
to having thousands. Some of the 
popular varieties of which we planted 
largely were so devastated that we 
have not enough for our own planting, 
hence they are omitted from our list. 
OUR SHIPPING SEASON begins 
about the first of April, sometimes a 
little earlier than that, very seldom 
later. 
OUR PACKING is first-class, secure 
and at the same time light, thus re- 
ducing transportation charges to a 
minimum. 
WE WARRANT our plants to reach 
their destination in good order. If 
they are not satisfactory we will re- 
place them or return the price. This 
guarantee does not extend to other 
countries than our own, and it termi- 
nates here on the first day of iVIay. 
MISTAKES— Our work is done with 
careful attention to every detail, and 
we seldom make mistakes, but they 
are possible, and when they do occur 
we rectify them with pleasure. In 
such cases Ave should be notified 
promptly. 
TRUE TO NAME— In growing 
plants we take the greatest care to 
keep the varieties sepai"ate, and are 
perfectly sure that those grown from 
ijiock of our own raising are pure and 
true to name; but It has happened a 
few times in our experience that 
plants purchased to propagate from 
were not true, and we sold them with- 
out knowing this. In such a case we 
cheerfully make restitution, but stipu- 
late that we shall uoi be liable for 
more than the price ot the plants. 
ORDER EARLY— We can not urge 
this too earnestly. By so doing you 
are reasonably sure of getting the va- 
rieties you want, and oi getting tliem 
early, which means gain to you when 
they come into bearing. It is also an 
advantage to us, enabling us to have 
our orders recorded, tags written and 
all arrangements made before the rush 
■tf the shipping season comes on. If 
you are not prepared to remit, for- 
ward your order and have it booked, 
then send the money when you are 
ready for the plants. See our pre- 
7iiium for early orders, on another 
page. 
TIME OF SHIPMENT— It is our 
wish to send out every order just 
vvhec it is wanted, and our patrons 
can make it easy for us to do this by 
naming a date on which they would 
like their plants shipped. If you can 
not decide this point sn long before- 
hand say "Ship when aotifled;" and 
Mrite us when you are ready. Many 
of our customers have already estab- 
lished this habit, and we should be 
pleased to have all do so. 
OUR TERMS ai-e cash before ship- 
ment, except in dealing with experi- 
ment stations and other public insti- 
tutions. 
REMITTANCES may be sent by 
bank paper, money order or registered 
i'etter, or, if small, in stamps. Do not 
trust currency in letters unregis- 
tered. 
SUBSTITUTION— Early in the sea- 
son it is needless to mention this, but 
■ ater on it is a good plan to say 
whether we may substitute or not. 
Oftentimes we can do this very satis- 
factorily if permitted. To those who 
order late in the season we recom- 
mend naming a second choice in case 
vv-e are out of the first. We reserve 
the right to substitute as best we can 
after the first of May. 
