24] 
BARGAIN PRICE LIST OF BERRY PLANTS, Etc. 
cut out with hoes. We consider that what ferti¬ 
lizer was applied durins; the season of 1913 was 
a detriment, as there was no rain to wash it 
■down to the roots, and not enough soil moisture 
to assimilate it. so that the plant roots could 
appropriate it. In spite of all the drawbacks, we 
had wonderful results with fall bearing straw¬ 
berries in 1913. 
On August 26th, the Oswego County Fruit 
Growers’ Association w'as held at our place 
and many people came to see the berries in 
fruiting. In going over the beds once on the 
26th. 27th and 28th of August, we gathered over 
700 quarts of berries. Our tirst picking of fall 
strawberries commercially in 1913 was July 21st 
and the last October lOtii. A hard freeze came 
September 10th, and. while this did not kill the 
berries entirely, it Injured those that were ripe, 
and destroyed the blossoms that were out at that 
time. While other blossoms came on later, there 
were more frosts, and we did not pick berries to 
any extent after October 11th. This was partly 
due to the fact that most of our fields were what 
we call old beds, that is. they were set out the 
spring before, in 1912. We had a fine field of 
Francis set in the spring of 1913. that liore fruit 
real late, in spite of the frost, and one could 
than 30c. and this is not a popular price, and 
many people turn away from them. 
I receive favorable reports from plants that I 
have shipped to patrons in most every state of 
the Union and in Canada. The only place 
that I receive persistent unfavorable reports is 
from the extreme southern states. They do espec¬ 
ially fine in California, Washington, Oregon, Michi¬ 
gan, New York, Massachusetts and Maine. They 
are getting into the markets in many places. We 
hear about them through the daily press very 
frequently. I have many reports from customers 
who have had even better success with them 
than I have. 
From the many letters I have received from 
people all over the United States, criticising the 
methods of certain other dealers, I am led to 
the belief that there has been a lot of monkey 
work with the fall bearing strawberry proposition. 
Some dealers are sending out Senator Dunlap and 
other varieties, claiming them to be true fall bear¬ 
ing kinds. While the Dunlap will sometimes bear 
a few berries in the fall, it cannot be at all de¬ 
pended upon to bear a reasonable crop of berries 
at that time. One seedsman, who does an immense 
business, engaged to take one million of plants 
of us in the spring of 1913. This is why we 
Strawberries in Corn Cutting Time, October, 1912. 
gather plenty of pretty good berries as late as 
Djicp»i»er 1st. During the week of the State Fair 
in*5yracuse, which was held early in September, 
we showed a barrel filled with earth, with holes 
bored all around its sides, and plants with blos¬ 
soms, green and ripe berries, growing out from 
the holes. In addition to this we showed 324 
quarts of berries, arranged in baskets, handles, 
crates, etc. This exhibit attracted a great deal 
of favorable attention. I heard many say that 
it was the most attractive thing shown at the 
fair. We also made an exhibit at the Ogdens- 
burg Fair later in the season, which attracted 
the same proportionate attention. I sold out 
the fruit the last day. and these berries were 
carried all over Northern New York and Canada. 
In all. w'e picked over 100 thirty-two quart crates 
of fall bearing strawberries in 1913, and thev 
sold from $6.40 to $8.00 per crate. Had the 
season been favorable, I don’t know w’hat the 
yield would have been. I hardly think we could 
have gotten them picked. The only trouble I had 
in marketing them was in getting them to desti¬ 
nation during the hottest weather. We shipped 
several crates to Buffalo in the hottest weather, 
and as they had to be transferred several times, 
they arrived in pretty bad condition. Straw¬ 
berries must be marketed near home in very 
warm weather or else shipped on ice, if sent to 
distant points. The price of 20c per quart is the 
most popular, as this enables the dealer to pay 
the express and sell at 25c per quart retail. If 
he pays the grower 25c, he cannot retail at less 
invested so heavily in these varieties during the 
season of 1912. He told me that he would take 
the plants of me, but did not want to sign any 
contract to that effect. Well he took just 1,000 
plants, and I am informed that he has thousands 
of spurious plants growing on his place that he 
bought at a reduced price, supposing they were 
the true Americus variety. What will be done 
with this stock of plant.s, I leave the reader to 
judge. I am confident this bogus plant deal is 
worked by more than one party, but, of course, 
through business decency I cannot give names. 
It is about my part in making the fall bearing 
strawberry popular that I want to speak particu¬ 
larly. In a few years it will be forgotten “who 
was who” in this matter and “Lest you forget” 
I want to mention a few facts. 
In the first place, Mr. Rockhill sent out samples 
of plants to several nurserymen besides myself 
in the year 1909. Is it not strange that some 
of the fellows who are now claiming so much 
honor for their part in the introduction of these 
new berries did not assert themselves sooner? 
Great credit is due Mr. M. Crawford of Ohio, and 
Mr. Edwin H. Riehl of Illinois, for their part in 
encouraging people to plant these berries, but 
these gentlemen are not nurserymen in the com¬ 
mercial sense of the word, they are growers and 
investigators. I can hardly remember the name 
of a nurseryman who advertises extensively, who 
had a word to say in favor of the fall bearing 
strawberries in 1909, 1910, or 1911, except myself. 
Their enthusiasm has struck them since they 
