102 State Ilorticiiltiiral Society. 



Popular preference is apt to be fickle and unreasonable and it would 

 be most unfortunate for the majority of apple growers and equally un- 

 just to the qualities of the apple in question should a prejudice against 

 the latter prevail among consumers. 



It is undeniable that there are many varieties of apples superior in 

 flavor and texture to the Ben Davis, but these deficiencies are more than 

 balanced by other characteristics and qualities in which it takes the lead. 

 In the first place the tree is a rapid grower, .is hardy, less subject to 

 fungous and other diseases and more resistant to insect attacks than 

 most others. It is an annual bearer, which the Dominie and other choice 

 sorts are not, the fruit is, taking one thing with another, incomparably 

 beautiful, it is a fairly good dessert fruit and excellent for all cooking 

 purposes ; makes cider of the best quality and is scarcely equaled by any 

 other variety as a keeper, not only in cold storage, but in the ordinary 

 storeroom and cellar. 



Said a lady to the writer the other day: "Do come and help us eat 

 some delicious apples — Jonathans. We bought a barrel recently, but 

 they are not keeping well at all and a large part will spoil before we can 

 possibly use them and my family does not care for canned apple-sauce." 

 I'he same might be said of Grime's golden pippin, Huntsman's favorite. 

 Northern Spy, Wincsaps and other so-called winter varieties. 



Some of the eastern varieties, such as the Baldwin, Seek No Further, 

 York Imperial and Rhode Island Greenings when free from codling 

 moth and when carefully handled can be made to last out the winter. 

 But of Mississippi Valley grown fruit very little is seen in the market 

 or remains in the cellar by spring except Ben Davis and the Black Ben 

 Davis or Gano of the same strain. The leathery and rather flavorless 

 Jeniton might be adduced as an equally good keeper, but when grown 

 in Missouri and states to the southward, it isn't worth keeping. 



Another thing must be taken into consideration by the too fastidious 

 consumer and that is, that as the Ben Davis has been planted so largely 

 for the last fifteen or twenty years there is now^ no other variety or col- 

 lection of varieties grown in sufficient quantity to supplant it. It is Ben 

 Davis or nothing. 



That this overwhelming preference for a single sort, on the part of 

 commercial orchardists was wise is open to question and may result 

 in loss in the future. No doubt planters will give greater areas to other 

 apples henceforth, but the "big, red apple of the Ozarks" will still have 

 its devotees, not only among horticulturists, but among dealers and apple 

 lovers generally. It may not be able to tickle the palate quite so accept- 

 ably during autumn and early winter, as some others, but, as has been 

 mentioned, these have comparatively a brief season and when the great, 



