Correct Description of Varieties. 
EVERY variety listed in this book has been 
thoroughly tested in our experimental 
plot, unless otherwise specified in the des- 
cription. This gives us a full understanding of 
their habits of growth. A close watch is kept 
on each variety from the time plants are set 
until berries are picked, and every little detail 
relating to foliage growth is noted down. At 
fruiting time the size of berry, flavor, color, 
firmness, quality, productiveness and everything 
pertaining to the berry is taken from actual 
tests. We do not guess at anything, but depend 
entirely upon records. In the description of 
each variety we give the number of years it has 
been bred up by selection from ideal mother 
plants of known fruiting vigor; we also give the 
method of growing them for best results. When 
stating that a certain variety does well every- 
where, we get our authority from reports fur- 
nished us by growers using our plants all over 
the country. But remember that these results 
which we and our customers are getting cannot 
be obtained with plants that have become weak- 
ened by pollen exhaustion or careless propa- 
gating from run-out beds. Plants that were 
bred up from a long line of ideal ancestors and 
grown under our methods will justify every state- 
ment made concerning each variety. 
Care of Plants 
A POSTAL card will be mailed to you 
when the plants are shipped, so you 
should be on the lookout for them. Our 
system of packing is the most perfect that can 
be devised, and we have shipped plants for 
years to the most distant points with complete 
success. If you will give them the same care 
we do every one will grow. When you receive 
them, if you are not ready to set them out do 
not leave them in the package, but dig a shal- 
low trench in a shady place, open the bunches, 
spreading cut the roots, and heel them in, allow- 
ing the crown to come even with the surface of 
the ground. 
Number of Plants Required to Set One Acre 
Rows 24 inches apart and 20 inches in the row, 13,160 
" 30 " " " 24 " " " " 8,712 
" 30 " " " 30 " " " " 6,970 
" 30 " " " 36 " " " " 5,808 
" 34 " " " 30 6,150 
" 36 " " " 30 " " " " 5,808 
" 42 " " " 24 " " " " 6,223 
" 42 " " " 20 " ■' " " 7,468 
» 4g I. .1 20 " " " " 6,534 
7m Quarts from Sbven Dozen Plants 
THE above is the record made by J. H. Stewart of 
Dixon, 111., who wrote undtr date of July 12, 
1905: "Those seven dozen Thoroughbred plants you 
sent me yielded 71>i quarts of nice large berries. I 
expect 100 quarts next year — great large ones at that." 
Excelsior, B. (Male.) 
EXTRA EARLY. Bisexual. A medium-sized, 
darlvred berry, almost round, with small, dark seeds, 
which gives them such a bright shiny appearance they 
fairly glisten in the box; the green calyx curls back a 
little and makes a charming contrast. The inner part 
is a rich red, just a trifle lighter than the surface, and 
is ot a solid, meaty texture, very juicy, with a rather 
tart, but exceedingly rich flavor; it mtkes a splendid 
canning berry, because it retains its shape better than 
do most varieties after being cooked. As a shipper it 
is unexcelled; the form and color are retained for days 
after being picked. All these good qualities, combined 
with Its productiveness and earliness, make Excelsior a 
most profitable berry for market purposes. The fruit 
runs even and but very little sorting is necessary. 
The foliage is a bright dark green, grows upright 
and quite thick, protecting its bloom from frost. It 
has a long blooming season for such an extra early va- 
riety. The flowers are medium sized aftd very rich 
with pollen. This makes it ideal for mating early 
pistillates. Runners form piofusely and the plants do 
not get large in the propagating bed, but when selected 
from strong mother plants, as is done on our grounds, 
the small size cuts no figure. They are deep rooters 
and heavy crown builders and that is what is required 
to make a big crop of fancy berries. 
The best system for growing Excelsior is in single 
hedge rows; in this way only the strongest runners are 
allowed to set — the balance are kept off by pinching 
or cutting them when hoeing; this makes a continuous 
line of high-grade plants; then the sun can beat on every 
leaf and crown. The Excelsior thrives on medium 
rich soil, and with a rough-and-tumble treatment, but 
it will pay handsomely for all the extra manure and 
care it gets. One thing is certain: it does not pay to 
neglect them in any way. Just try them on good soil 
with good care and note results; then pack the fruit 
nicely by arranging the top layers with stems down, 
showing only the glossy part, and hungry customers 
will be only too glad to pay your price. 
This is the tenth year Excelsior has been und. r our 
system of breeding by selection, and we think more of 
it than ever. 
