Winter Meeting. 239 



planted twelve miles south of Hutchinson, Kas., about 1850, has been 

 identified as Gano. A tree now over thirty years 0I4 in the orchard 

 of Mr. E. A. Sylvester, Osborn, Mo., attracted the owner's attention 

 a few years ago. He began propagating- it, believing it to be a 

 superior new variety, but since becoming acquainted with the Gano 

 apple he pronounces his tree identical with the latter variety. This 

 tree was one of ten trees bought by Mr. Sylvester for Ben Davis from 

 Mr. Zimmerman of Cameron, who propagated it from stock which 

 originally came from the old Jacks orchard, showing that scions of 

 the Gano in the old Jacks orchard were unknowingly mixed with 

 Ben Davis scions which were frequently cut from that orchard at a 

 time when the Gano tree was regarded as being only a highly colored 

 Ben Davis, or New York Pippin as it was then known. 



From the above it will be seen that the committee has not been 

 able to positively determine the primary origin of either Black Ben 

 Davis or Gano. The oldest known Black Ben Davis, which grew on 

 the old Parson Black farm, near Lincoln, Ark., was not proven to be 

 a seedling nor was there any definite proof that it was not. The 

 earliest known Gano, of the old Jacks orchard, is of similarly uncer- 

 rain origin. 



Even if the committee could have established beyond doubt the 

 fact that these trees were of separate seedling origin they would 

 hardly have been justified in passing a positive judgment from this fact 

 alone that they were different varieties, though the chances in such 

 a case would have been very great that such would prove to be true. 

 There are a few cases on record where two different seedlings of the 

 same general type of orchard fruit are so much alike that they can- 

 not be distinguished as separate varieties. For example, the Crawford 

 type of peaches sometimes reproduces itself (or comes true) from 

 seed. The Green Gage plum, one of our oldest and best known varie- 

 ties of tree fruit, sometimes reproduces itself perfectly from seed. 

 Not all the Green Gage plums' now in cultivation are of identical 

 seedling origin. A seedling of Whitney Crab, grown from seed 

 known to have been taken from a Whitney, was introduced in Min- 

 nesota and for a time regarded as being superior to its parent, but as 

 the tree got to be older and as other trees were propagated from its 

 . scions it was finally pronounced to be indistinguishable from its 

 parent and ceased to be regarded as a separate sort. 



On the other hand, even if proof was available that Black Ben 

 Davis and Gano were of identical seedling origin that would hardly 

 be positive proof that they might not be different varieties. It is a 

 fact well know to fruit growers that a variety sometimes produces 



