4 
W. F. Allen’s Plant and Seed Catalogue, Salisbury, Md. 
OUR TESTIMONIALS. 
Every one of them are genuine and unso¬ 
licited. That’s why I appreciate them so much. I 
notice that some of the plant catalogues -have 
dropped the testimonial feature.” They say 
they get kicks, too. and as they don't want to 
publish these they drop the testimonials. I will 
speak of the “kicks" elsewhere, but as to my 
testimonials, or more properly speaking, my 
“letters of appreciation," I enjoy reading them 
so much, and consider them such good reading, 
that 1 want my friends to enjoy reading them 
with me, They are too good to hide, and I 
only wish I could make room for all of them, but 
as that would crowd everything else out of my 
catalogue, I have to console myself with pub¬ 
lishing a few, and I would 1)9 pleased to have 
everyone who sees this catalogue read them. 
& 
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cir fir ft ft fir fv fir fir ftr fc ft fir fir fir ft- ft- f * ft* ft* ft* ftr fir ft fir ft* *•- ft* ft*' 
and the flesh is fully as dark as the surface. It is 
firm enough for a distant market, and at the same time 
delicate and tempting. The flavor is sprightly and 
sweet. The seeds are on the surface, which is so per¬ 
fect in texture that the berries can be handled like 
plums. The Cardinal is not a berry that is surpass¬ 
ingly fine in some respects and deficient in others, but 
a superior all-round variety, adapted to all purposes, 
all soils, all modes of culture, n ripens with the me¬ 
dium sorts, and makes a long season." 
I might add that I have a very fin~ stock of plants, 
consisting of over 200,000, all of which will no doubt 
disappear before the season is over. .My plants are 
strong and healthy, and 1 am confident will please all 
those who wish to plant this variety. 
CHIPMAN. —This variety has never fruited with 
me, and I never planted it until last 
spring. It has made a very good growth and looks 
quite promising. It has been attracting quite a good deal 
of attention in the strawberry sections of Delaware and 
is described by a reliable Delaware grower as follows : 
“It originated in Sussex county, Delaware, by a grower 
of over 35 years' experience, and is considered by him 
the best he ever fruited. It was first planted for field 
culture five years ago and has always come out ahead 
of every other variety planted with it in all kinds of 
seasons. The plants are strong, upright in growth, 
large and healthy, with tall, broad, bright, glossy, 
green foliage that has never shown any sign of rust or 
disease. It has strong, perfect blossoms, and is a 
good kind to plant with pistillate varieties. The fruit 
is very large with large green caps of even size and 
shape. It begins to ripen four or five days earlier than 
the Bubach ; the color is dark red, bright and glossy. 
It is very firm, a good shipper, good qualities, and re¬ 
tains its bright color a long time after being picked. 
In productiveness it is equal to any variety ever 
fruited—succeeds equally well on light and heavy soil, 
and it is predicted that it will soon become one of the 
leading commercial varieties. 
of large size, proper shape and good qualities. The 
plant is a very strong grower, with an abundance of 
dark green healthy foliage. My attention was first 
called to this variety by a Western grower, who writes 
as follows : “Why is it that you Eastern growers do 
not try the Fremont Williams strawberry? I shipped 
50 crates to Indianapolis last season and they were 
pronounced the largest and finest seen in that market. 
They are fully as late as the Gandy, and superior to it 
in size, color and productiveness.” The originator 
speaks very highly of this variety, and indeed, from 
what I have seen of it, 1 see no reason why he should 
not. I consider it very promising and recommend it as 
worthy of trial. I am so favorably impressed that I 
am planting a large block of it in my plant beds, as I 
believe there is going to be a demand for it. 
GOVERNOR ROLLINS. — This variety was 
originated by Ben¬ 
jamin M. Smith, of Beverly, Mass., and named in honor 
of Governor Rollins, of New Hampshire, which was Mr. 
Smith’s native State. The plant is of medium size, 
healthy and robust, with thick leaves, hut has not 
fruited here. Mr. Smith, the originator, who is very 
modest in his description, has this to say : “I exhibited 
GOVERNOR ROLLINS last June at the Massachusetts 
Horticultural Society Strawberry Show. It took first 
prize. The fruit is firm and large, perfect in shape, 
dark color and fine qualities. The last picking holds 
out well in size, as all the fruit matures, and it is not 
a shy hearer.” 
BRADLEY. —Not having fruited this variety, I 
borrow the following description 
from a New York grower : “A strong, vigorous and 
productive variety, season late, berry large, good qual¬ 
ity and attractive color ; one of the most promising of 
the new varieties, and one that is attracting more at¬ 
tention from visitors than any other.” The variety 
with me has made a splendid growth of strong, healthy 
plants. 
GILL. This berry is from Southeastern Ohio. It 
has made an excellent growth here, hut has 
not fruited with me. I will, therefore, give you the 
following description, copied from M. Crawford : “The 
plant is large, healthy and vigorous, with thick, 
smooth, dark, glossy green leaves. It makes many run¬ 
ners, which root promptly ; the blossom is perfect, and 
the fruit ripens very early. The reports of the Ohio 
Experiment Station on this berry for 1904 and 1905 
and our own observation of it on the Station grounds, 
convinced us that it w T ould prove a great acquisition to 
those whose markets demand early berries.” The Ohio 
Experiment Station, which is conservative and reliable, 
speaks of the berry as follows : “Medium size, shape 
conical, occasionally broad, conical, and slightly flat¬ 
tened ; usually smooth and uniform ; color light red or 
scarlet; seeds yellow and prominent; flesh pink, mod¬ 
erately firm ; mild and pleasant quality ; plants making 
low r , compact, vigorous growth; flowers perfect, and 
produces in gi-eat profusion. In 1905 the GILL was 
the earliest to ripen at the Station, and the size above 
the average or early varieties.” 
DICKY. —This is a new' berry from Yankee 'Land, 
being originated by Mr. J. D. Gowing, 
who originated the Sample. The introducer says : “It 
is a better berry than the Sample ; it is as large and 
productive and firm; colors all over; no green tips; 
very fancy. Sold last season by Hall & Cole, 102 
Faneuil Hall, Boston, for 12 to 14 cents per quart, and 
Sample out of the same field sold for 10 and 11 cents. 
I have been growing strawberries for 40 years, and I 
thought I had seen strawberries before, hut I have 
never seen a finer thing in the berry line in my life. 
The DICKY 7 is a long-season berry, and they are the 
ones that grow the big crops. Last year it commenced 
to ripen in Massachusetts the middle of June, and on 
July 18 Mr. Gowing picked five crates of fine fruit.” 
The introducer as quoted above is very enthusiastic 
over this new 7 berry. It remains to he seen whether or 
not it will give the satisfaction the Sample has gen¬ 
erally done. I have not seen the DICKY' fruited ex¬ 
cept on spring-set plants ; from plants set last spring, 
how'ever, we had some very nice berries that run from 
medium to very large, the very large ones being some¬ 
what irregular in size. The eating qualities w'ere ex¬ 
cellent. The plants are very large, stalky anu healthy. 
The entire stock of plants is very small, hilt I w'ould 
advise at least a trial of this new berry, especially for 
those who want something fine for their home garden 
or local market. 
FREMONT WILLIAMS. —I fruited this va¬ 
riety the past sea¬ 
son in a small way and w 7 as very much impressed w'ith 
It. The fruit is exceptionally beautiful in appearance, 
GOLDSBOROUGH— Originated by A. T. Golds- 
borough, Washington, D. 
C., who began some ten or more years ago a series of 
systematic efforts to produce from seed a variety which 
should he ideal in both plant and fruit. After seven 
years of endeavor he was rewarded by the berry which 
hears his name. My stock of plants was purchased 
from M. Crawford last spring, and I borrow the follow¬ 
ing description from his catalogue : “The shape of the 
fruit is perfect, also the color, being a waxy light 
scarlet, with a deeper shade w r hen fully ripe. Its red 
pulp leaves a red juice in a saucer, like its wild parent 
in the fields. It is rich, juicy, sw'eet and fragrant, re¬ 
quires no sugar, and is the only early berry I know 
which can be freely eaten out of the hand. * Some of 
the flowers are perfect, others imperfect. Its dark 
foliage is so fresh and green, its hidden fruit so red, 
glossy and sweet, that it is a pleasure to work among 
the plants. It ripens a little later than the first 
earlies.” 
POPULAR EVERYWHERE. ffe 
$ Annapolis Co., N. S., April 22, 1907. || 
% W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Md. %t 
Dear Sir—Plants arrived in good condition ; 88 
3: One plants. If they do not live, it will not be % 
S' your fault. Yours truly, % 
?k J. S. GATES. 
