Annual Meeting at St. Joseph. 109 



the state. I want to get our orchardists to plant trees that will be 

 of some value to them. You will go into but few orchards in the 

 state but what you will find more than half the trees worthless. 



According to my judgment the six best varieties to plant for 

 profit are Maiden's Blush for late summer and early fall, Jonathan 

 and Smith's Cider for late fall and early winter, and Ben Davis, 

 Willow Twig and Janett for winter. I would plant the larger 

 part Ben. Davis, Jonathan, Maiden's Blush and Willow Twig. Of 

 the earliest varieties, I do not know of any variety very profitable, 

 although we had better plant some Early Harvest ; the Duchess 

 of Oldenberg is a splendid apple, but I do not know enough about 

 it to recommend it. The Early Pennock is also a fine apple but 

 doubt its being profitable. The Clyde Beauty is about as profitable 

 as any early fall apple we have in our vicinity, as it is a good bearer 

 and the fruit is generally very large and showy, and although 

 poor eating brings the toj) market price. 



The Ben Davis, although not a good eating apple, is a fine 

 cooker, and yields more dollars and cents, I think, tban any other 

 variety in this vicinity, on account of its being an early and almost 

 constant bearer of fine showy fruit, and generally brings about the 

 top market price, and is also a very good keej^er, when it does not 

 mature too early. It has been said ever since its introduction that 

 its poor quality would soon make it unpopular, and I admit that it is 

 not as popular as a few years back, but they will sell at good prices. 

 I have sold them to the Italian stand men of Denver and they 

 would say " I no like a Ben Davis ; he too dry," but after trying 

 something else would drop back on the Ben Davis. 



I know of one orchard, all Ben Davis, in the Missouri bottom, 

 that bore a good crop of fine fruit last year, and this year the 

 owner, Mr. William Reece, of latan, told me it would bring him 

 more than two hundred dollars per acre ; which is pretty good for 

 this season of low prices. 



Although the Jonathan has not been planted very long in our 

 vicinity, it so far, has proven to be a tolerably early and prolific 

 bearer, and so far of good and showy qualities. I do not believe there 

 is another apple in the world that can compete with it ; and for 

 stands in large cities it generally brings from fifty cents to a dollar 

 per barrel more than any other variety of fine fruit, and therefore 

 I recommend them as one of the best for heavy planting, as there 

 is no danger of getting overstocked with them any season, as the 

 demand is too heavy for that class of fruit. 



I do not believe the Willow Twig is planted as extensively as 



