26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



But what shall we plant, if not Ben Davis? asks the anxious inquirer 

 after light — a question more easily asked than answered. Twenty-five 

 years ago the Janet was the popular apple, and more largely planted than 

 any other ; but we have learned that as the tree grows old the fruit 

 becomes small, and is not wanted in market at any price. 



Later the Winesap was all the rage, and was planted by everybody. 

 It was then a regular bearer, the fruit large and handsome, and brought 

 the highest price in market, and the hopeful orchardist, in the simplicity 

 of his soul, cried, Eureka ! Eureka! ! A few passing years, and " lo, a 

 change came o'er the spirit of his dreams ! " The spur-blight attacked 

 the tree, and the scab destroyed the fruit ; and now hundreds of thou- 

 sands of trees are but cumberers of the ground. Later still the Willow 

 was supposed to be the ne plus ultra, and was planted in large quantities ; 

 but a large portion of these trees has either been grubbed up or they stand 

 blighted and dead monuments of the credulity of the unsophisticated 

 orchardist. Except in a few favored locations it is not now planted. 



Then the Rome Beauty, Minkler, Stark, Smith's Cider and Grimes' 

 Golden were each supposed to be the coming apple, but they have all 

 " been weighed in the balance and found wanting." 



This brings us to the Ben Davis era. No tree has ever been planted 

 in the West in such quantities as this, and it is probable that not more 

 than one-fourth of them have yet come into bearing. When they 

 all come to full bearing, and their product is crowded upon 

 the market, already overstocked with better fruit, we may safely 

 predict that the price will fall below the cost of production. True, 

 it possesses many of the requisites of a popular apple : The tree is 

 healthy, vigorous and a good bearer, the fruit large and handsome, and, 

 notwithstanding its lack of quality, has heretofore sold for fancy prices. 

 Extensive planting has thus been encouraged, and many a young 

 orchardist hopes and believes he has discovered a sure and rapid road to 

 wealth ; but we fear that many of these hopes will prove like apples of 

 Sodom, fair to the eye, but dust and ashes in the grasp, as the observing 

 orchardist, even now, sees signs of deterioration, and in all probability 

 it will hold the same relation to the next generation that the Newtown 

 Pippin, White Bellflower and Rawles' Janet do to us. 



" But," says one, " you have not yet told us what to plant." Very 

 true, nor do I feel competent for the task. My own last planting has 

 been : Summer — Red Astrachan, Duchess of Oldenburg and Sops of 

 Wine. Fall — Maiden's Blush. Winter — Ben Davis, Jonathan, Red 

 Canada, Wythe ; and I do not know that I could do better now. 



That we need a new apple, combining the good qualities of our best 

 apples, with the size, color, hardiness and productiveness of the Ben 

 Davis is a foregone conclusion ; but how to obtain it is the question. 

 There is no doubt that by a careful system of hybridization, crossing 

 some of our delicate and best varieties with the coarser and more hardy 

 ones, good results might be obtained; but, in my opinion, the true plan 

 is to grow trees from seeds, from some of our hardy and desirable sorts, 

 like Ben Davis, Bellflower, Red Canada, or Pryor's Red. It is well 



