RESULTS OF THE FRUIT EXHIBIT AT ST. LOUIS. 147 



growing fruit. Our fruit was exhibited side by side with fruit 

 from what is known as tlie great red apple district to the south 

 of us, and from New York, Michigan and Connecticut to the 

 east where a great many people think they must go in order to 

 secure choice apples. And from Colorado, "Washington and 

 Oregon to the west of us where fruit of the higher color is 

 grown, and if it was to be judged from its appearance alone 

 would out-strip the fruit grown in any other section of the 

 United States. Nevertheless Nebraska with her small amount 

 of space maintained an exhibit that from point of general ap- 

 pearance and quality surpassed them all. 



Gentlemen of the Horticultural Society we have passed be- 

 yond the experimental stage in the growing of fine fruit. When 

 brought into direct competition with the best fruit growing sec- 

 tion in the world Nebraska can hold up her head and say with- 

 out fear of successful contradiction that the quality of our fruit 

 is surpassed by none. Those of us that are in the fruit business 

 know that this is the case, but when we go out to sell our fruit 

 we are brought face to face with a prejudice against our own 

 fruit which I believe is due almost exclusively to the extensive 

 planting and growing of the Ben Davis apple. It is so common 

 and grown so universally that a great many people have come 

 to the opinion that the Ben Davis is the only apple that we grow 

 or can grow in the west. I realize that there is a reason for 

 this situation. The Ben Davis tree is comparatively hardy, be- 

 ing easy to grow, bearing young, very prohfic, standing a great 

 deal of rough treatment and being a good keeper. The only 

 objection to the apple being its inferior quality. These good 

 points are responsible for its universal planting. However I 

 think that the Ben Davis apple is a curse to the state and the 

 whole west as well. 



There is a great long list of varieties that I might mention where 

 the tree is just as hardy, just as prolific, just as good a keeper 

 as the fruit grown in Michigan, Colorado, New York or Oregon. 

 The efforts of this society in the past have been directed along 

 the lines of encouraging the planting of fruit trees in all parts 

 of the state. This has been a splendid work and has resulted 

 very beneficially to the state. Now that these fine orchards 

 have been planted all over the eastern half of the state I believe 



