48 state; pomological society. 



grower and prolific bearer. The fruit as the trees grow older — 

 this year in particular — has seemed to scab somewhat though ; 

 but as I said before we would like to get an apple of better qual- 

 ity, or an apple that suits the home market better. The Northern 

 Spy, if it were not such a shy bearer, would suit, I think, the 

 best of anything yet found, as it combines good keeping qualities 

 and flavor. 



Mr. Gilbert: Mr. Leland speaks of topworking the Ben 

 Davis. The Chair has several times raised the question whether 

 the Ben Davis stock was a satisfactory wood to graft upon. If 

 any one has had any experience in changing the Ben Davis apple 

 to some other variety by grafting, we would like to have it drawn 

 out. I met a gentleman a few days ago who made the statement 

 that it was not a good stock to graft on, that is, that many varie- 

 ties would not do well and stand well grown on Ben Davis wood. 

 You are aware that but few varieties of apples will grow on 

 crab stock successfully, and he claims that the same difficulty to 

 a certain extent is connected with the Ben Davis wood. These 

 are facts of importance if we can establish them as facts. 



Member: One Ben Davis I grafted with Gravensteins. I 

 didn't have good success. They bore some but haven't done 

 so well as other trees. 



O. I would like to ask Mr. Cook, who seems to have some 

 knowledge of shipping apples, if he thinks it is going to be neces- 

 sary to rework our Ben Davis apple trees? 



Mr. Cook : I set 200 Ben Davis trees last spring. I have 

 some thought that I may set 500 next spring. I do what I think 

 is best for myself, and that I think is to set Ben Davis. In 

 answer to the chairman's question. I have had no experience 

 grafting anything else on to Ben Davis wood ; I have had quite 

 a little grafting Ben Davis on to other things. Ben Davis does 

 very well grafted on to other varieties, but there is an objection 

 to grafting some varieties at least into Ben Davis stock. Bald- 

 win, for instance, I should not think would do well grafted in a 

 Ben Davis tree, for the reason that the Ben Davis is not any- 

 where near as large a grower as the Baldwin. The Baldwin is 

 a very vigorous grower when it has a good chance and will grow 

 into a large tree. The Ben Davis is not comparatively so large 

 a grower as the Baldwin, and I think you would get too heavy 

 a top for the trunk in grafting the Baldwin into Ben Davis, but 



