6 
W. F. Allen’s Plant and Seed Catalogue, Salisbury, Md. 
ST. LOUIS. —Originated in Arkansas by Mr. J. A. 
Bauer. There is another St. Louis 
on the market originated by A. T. Goldsborough, near 
Washington, D. C., but the variety that I am offering 
is the Southern variety originated by J. A. Bauer. This 
variety as grown here makes a very strong, healthy 
plant, with plenty of runners, very productive of large 
berries, considering the early season at which they 
ripen. They ripened with me the past season fully as 
early as Excelsior or any of the other very early varie¬ 
ties. The. berries are about the same shape, fully as 
large, and -almost, if not quite, as productive as the 
Haverland. But for one weakness, 1 would prefer this 
berry to any of the early ones I have ever seen. It is 
more productive of large berries than any of the extra 
early sorts I have ever grown, and I have had about 
all there has been introduced of any importance for the 
last twenty-five years. The one thing that keeps it 
from taking first place as an early berry is the fact 
that it is soft, which practically takes it out of the 
market as a shipping variety, but for the home table 
or for local market, in my judgment, it leads all the 
rest In fact, I was so well impressed with it after 
fruiting it the past spring that, in spite of its soft tex¬ 
ture, I could hardly resist planting a field of it for 
fruit Mr. Bauer speaks of it thus : “There is no berry 
move even in size, and one of their strong points is 
they ripen all of their crop in a rush, not lasting over 
a lon ,y season, as many other early berries do, which 
°Tves the grower top prices for all the crop, while the 
berries that run so long always get cheap the latter 
part of the season. I have grown it with Climax, 
Ivlondyke Excelsior, Lady Thomson, and Mitchell’s 
Early, and find that the St. Louis is larger and more 
productive yielding more quarts at a picking than any 
of them. The berries have long stems, making them 
easy to pick. Season same as Climax and about six 
days later than Excelsior.” Now you will notice that 
Mr. Bauer says the St. Louis is about six days later 
than Excelsior. As I have often said, there is a great 
variation in strawberries in different sections, and with 
me the past season in the same field it was fully as 
early as Excelsior or any other variety. To those of 
my customers who want berries for their home garden 
or want to grow for local market, I can conscientiously 
recommend this variety, believing that it will give them 
the best of satisfaction. You can think of all the good 
qualities desirable in an early berry and you have it in 
the St. Louis, with the one exception, as stated above 
—it is soft and 1 will not stand long shipment. 
& 
* UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS 
AND WHY WE PRINT THEM. 
We try very hard to please every customer, 
and it is a great satisfaction to us that we 
have come so near reaching the high standard 
that we have set. During 1909, I have had 
fully 100 testimonials to every complaint re¬ 
ceived. Son\e of our competitors say they do 
not intend to publish their “kicks,” so will not 
brag about their testimonials. This is very 
frank, I admit, but we work hard to merit Die 
good words of our friends, and we appreciate 
them, we like to read them, and we like for 
everybody who gets this catalogue to read 
them, because they express in their own lan¬ 
guage what they think of our plants and we 
want our prospective customers to know what 
those who have used our plants think of them. 
Every testimonial in this catalogue is a new 
one, a live one ; and we will gladly furnish the 
1 *. O. address of any of them to any one who 
wishes to write them about my plants, etc. We 
believe in our customers and try to treat them 
so well that they accept us as their friends, 
knowing that it is my policy to give them full 
value for their money. We know that they 
appreciate our efforts because we get hundreds 
of orders stating that “your plants were rec¬ 
ommended to me by Mr. “So and So,” or 
“my friend. Mr.— told me I could get good 
plants of W. F. Allen.” We want the public 
to know what our customers think of us, and 
whatever others may do, I shall continue to 
♦♦♦ print as many testimonials as I can make 
room for, so long as they come without soliei- 
+X+ tation and express themselves as being so well 
¥ pleased with our manner of dealing with them. 
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IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT WHERE TO 
ORDER, READ THIS AND THEN 
DECIDE. 
Miami Co., Ind., April 21, 1909. 
W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Md. 
Dear Sir—Plants received today in fine con¬ 
dition ; are fine plants. I have ordered thou¬ 
sands of plants of you, and they are always 
fine, and you have pleased me again with fine 
plants. Thanks for good count. 
Respectfully, 
CIIAS. NATION. 
DID NOT LOSE 1 IN 1,000. 
Marion Co., Ind., June 4, 1909. 
W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Md. 
Dear Sir—I want to thank you for the qual¬ 
ity of strawberry plants you sent. It affords 
me pleasure to be able to state that they have 
made good. I think I am safe in saying that 
not one-tenth of one per cent, have died at this 
writing; they are forming runners. In fact, I 
have never had plants do better, even when 
merely taken up from one part of the farm 
and transplanted to another. 
Respectfully, 
J. D. MYSEWANDER. 
3000 MILES AWAY IT 
STORY. 
IS THE SAME 
Fresno Co., Cal.. Jan. 20, 1909. 
W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Md. 
Dear Sir—My order for plants received, and 
I have never seen finer plants. They were in 
♦•♦♦excellent condition. Respectfully, 
& SARAH E. EVANS. 
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