W. F. Allen's Plant and Seed Catalogue, Salisbury, Md. 
17 
of berries under neglect. It was transferred to the 
family garden and grown there for years before it 
finally attracted tlie attention of commercial growers. 
The plants are large and vigorous, producing a num¬ 
ber of young plants, while the old plant is inclined to 
bush up much like the Parker Earl. The berries are 
large, bright crimson and ripen about with Sharpless. 
The blooms are perfect. Season late.*’ 
EXCELSIOR.— A standard for earliness by 
which all others are com¬ 
pared. The berries are about medium in size, 
very productive and firm; one of the best ship¬ 
ping berries on the list. If given half a chance it 
will take care of itself and bring splendid returns. 
It is too sour to suit the taste of the average per¬ 
son and has, therefore, never been popular for the 
home garden. As a first early shipping berry it 
has few equals and is decidedly the best of the 
old standard extra early market sorts, and if there 
is a variety that will give ripe fruit earlier in the 
season, year after year, I have not yet found it. 
HELEN GCULD. —Originated by J. It. Peck, 
of ' 'issouri. and intro¬ 
duced by M. Crawford, of Ohio. The berry has 
not had a fair show with me. and perhaps it is 
hardly fair to the variety to say that it has not 
created a good impr< ssion with me. It has made 
a fair growth, but from its general appearance I 
cannot seem to bring myself to believe that it is 
as good as many others that we have on the mar¬ 
ket. Mr. Crawford being the introducer, and much 
more familiar with the variety than I am, I will 
give you his description, which is as follows: 
“Season medium to late. This was our premium 
berry two vears and we are aiad that we gave 
our customers something so good. Every time it 
fruits we admire it more and more. It does better 
in hills than in matted rows, and needs plenty of 
plant food to enable the foliage to keep up the 
fruit. When well nourished the plant is large and 
healthy and produces a great crop. It sends out 
a moderate number of strong runners. The fruit 
is large and holds up well to the end of the sea¬ 
son ; roundish conical in shape, quite uniform, ex¬ 
cept the first berry on the stem, which is some¬ 
times triangular or slightly flattened. In color it 
is bright, glossy red. and the berries have a rich, 
delicious flavor, though not as sweet as Wm. Belt 
and Marshall. It is moderately firm and very fine 
for canning.” 
OSWEGO —I do not know the originator of the 
Oswego, but it was introduced by L. J. 
Farmer, and is supposed to be a seedling of the Bu- 
bach and Sharpless. Mr. Farmer tells us : “It orig¬ 
inated in an old family bed and attracted attention 
by its large size and its ability to produce a large crop 
Cci/>r/t/c 
<T /9m : 
POCAHONTAS. —Originated by S. K. Garrison, 
of Virginia. The plants are 
exceedingly large and sturdy, somewhat resembling 
the Marshall, but more vigorous and healthy, and 
make more plants. The berries are large and beauti¬ 
ful and fine quality. Mr. Garrison, in writing about 
it, speaks thus: “I have one of the finest berries 
that has ever been seen. I showrnd it to all the berry 
growers in this section and they all said it was the 
biggest berry they had ever seen. I found the plants 
up in a mountain where never a strawberry had been 
planted, and it was the heaviest and largest plant I 
ever saw. From the small patch I had of them I got 
32 quarts every other day, and sold them to Mr. - 
in Charlottesville, and he sold every quart of them for 
25 and 30 cents when he could not get but 10 cents 
for Glen Mary. I had a lot of calls for this new 
berry, but I have not let any of the plants go. I have 
only a few of them this spring and have not named 
it yet. It is a fine, large, heavy bearer as I ever saw 
and I would like you to name it. The plant is a big, 
sturdy fellow, larger than the Glen Mary. I showed 
the plant and berries to a number of prominent gen¬ 
tlemen here and they will tell you that just what I 
say is so.” A very promising berry that you should 
not fail to give a trial. 
ffi 
X AND wild try and please you * 
f EQUALLY AS WELL NEXT TIME. #2 
& 
f 
* 
*> 
Orange Co., N. Y., May 1, 1909. 
W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Md. 
Dear Sir—I received my strawberry plants 
all right. They came through in fine shape, 
and w r hen I need more will send to you for 
them. 
Yours respectfully, 
FRANK CHUDZEY. 
