FLANSBURGH & PEIRSON’S CATALOGUE. 
i3 
lific, shape inclined to Jessie. The 
here. Make a fortune by growing 
giant strawberries the size of toma¬ 
toes. Elsewhere in his catalogue he 
says: ‘‘The six berries that filled the 
quart box, for which $10.00 was paid, 
were all picked from a single 
plant.” 
November 10, 1902, Mr. Kevitt 
wrote us: “Oom Paul showed as 
fine fruit as season of 1901. From 
one-fourth acre we picked 4,000 
quarts. The fruit readily sold at 25 
cents per quart.” 
The above is from out last year’s 
catalogue. As stated in our annual 
letter,we dug the Oom Paul too close 
for plants last spring to judge it fair¬ 
ly at the fruiting. The berry certain¬ 
ly is large, and there were lots of 
them on the few plants that escaped 
the fork in digging. After we had 
made our planting which included an 
extra lot from the introducer, orders 
for Oom Paul plants kept coming in 
until there were none left undisturb¬ 
ed. The plants are large size, and 
healthy, robust growers. We set 
them in three different places, as we 
do most other sorts that are most in 
demand, hoping that any that are 
laft to fruit may remain undisturbed. 
We expect this is a great variety 
from all accounts of it. 
CHALLENGE.—(Per.)—Our plants 
were from M. Crawford, of Ohio, who 
offered it last year with the special 
offer that any person who bought 
Challenge plants of him that spring, 
who did not consider them worth the 
money after seeing them in fruit in 
1904 he would send a due bill for the 
purchase price that he would accept 
for other plants they might select 
from his catalogue in 1905. 
There is no prominent variety to¬ 
day but has received scant praise at 
times, due solely to conditions, and it 
may be Friend C. will find some cus¬ 
tomers who have not well considered 
this, but the Challenge here showed 
all the marks that indicate a success¬ 
ful variety—a good, strong, healthy 
growing plant, nice berries and lots 
of them. The fruit is large and well 
colored to the center and appeared 
quite firm. It has been shinned from 
Missouri to Denver in hot weather in 
a common express car, arriving in 
fine condition. The plants have long 
roots, indicating it a good variety to 
resist drouth as claimed. 
This variety originated with J. R. 
Peck, of Missouri, who is also the 
originator of our Peck’s Early Pota¬ 
to, concerning which Mr. Crawford 
wrote us last fall that it was the best 
of all he knew and the only new sort 
he had saved for planting in the 
spring. We regard the Challenge 
strawberry as very nromising here 
and are sure that with the introducer 
it is all that he claims for it. 
PRESIDENT.—(Imp.)—Our at¬ 
tention was first call to this new va¬ 
riety by a photograph of it in the 
Rural New Yorker, of June 28, 1902, 
with a description by the editor in 
this and a later issue, the substance 
of which was that it is the most prom¬ 
ising strawberry they had yet tried, 
from a market standpoint. It is a 
strong, vigorous grower here, but we 
have not fruited it. The Rural New 
Yorker stated: “The President led 
all kinds in develooment of fruit; 
every plant nroducinf* large clusters, 
and better still, seems inclined to per¬ 
fect and bring to large size every ber¬ 
ry. The color is bright and clear, 
the flesh firm, and the seeds few and 
widely separated. It is just now, 
June 12, ripening, and therefore comes 
in with Gandy and other late varieties. 
The quality as grown here is very 
fair, but not high, the acidity being 
quite mild. This will be one of the 
attractions for 1904 and reports of it 
will be read with interest. 
Price, $2.00 per dozen. 
TEXAS.—(Per.)—Originated with 
Jacob C. Bauer & Sons, of Arkansas, 
who wrote us in 1901: “It is ahead of 
all other early varieties, our Excel¬ 
sior included. Productive, best qual¬ 
ity, firm, high color, healthy, vigor¬ 
ous plant growth,” etc. 
Our plants were from California 
the following spring. Unlike most 
early sorts the plants are large and 
stocky growers, yet vigorous, mak¬ 
ing a good row. Our supply was lim¬ 
ited last spring and nearly all were 
dug for customers, so that we cannot 
well report its fruiting here last sea¬ 
son. We ordered largely for our 
own setting and have a fine stock for 
1904. We understand the Texas is 
being planted largely in the South for 
shipping North. 
See A B C of Strawberry Culture and other Valuable Books, Inside Back Cover. 
