WINTER MEETING. 225 



back." My father migrated from Kentucky to Southern Illinois 

 ( White county ) in 1819. In 1823 he planted out an orchard, most of 

 which were seedlings, but had at least 25 Ben Davis apples. My 

 father got his grafts, or slips, (did his own grafting) from a neighbor, 

 a Mr. Funkhouser, and he from a Mr. Newman, who lived 12 miles 

 further south in the same county. Mr. l!4^ewman brought the grafts 

 from Kentucky previous to 1820, but I can't say how long; but the 

 twigs were cut from Newman's trees that made Funkhouser's trees, 

 and from Mr. Funkhouser's trees that made my father's. In the New- 

 man neighborhood they were called the Newman apple and in Burnt 

 Prairie or the Funkhouser neighborhood (Funk apple). After a few 

 years we got the name of New York Pippin. For all I know or care, 

 the Ben Davis apple had many origins, but the above is the way they 

 got to Southern Illinois. 



A near neighbor of ours went into the nursery business about 1838 

 or 1839, raised the New York Pippin extensively, and was the only 

 nursery within our knowledge. They were spread far and wide; had 

 then, as now, poor as they are in flavor, a great reputation. Of course, 

 I have the word of others, but the above is a correct history of this 

 apple in Southern Illinois. I am 70 years old, was born in this county, 

 and the Ben Davis apple antedates me here quite a number of years. 



EzEKiEL Hensinger, Burnt Prairie, 111. 



Fruit Growinsr. 



to' 



At your request for an article for the February number of your 

 paper on fruit-growing, I will comply, and trust that after forty years' 

 study and active practice in the nursery business and orchard-growing, 

 twenty-seven of which have been spent in Holt county, Missouri, 

 where, from a small capital to start on, through a knowledge of fruit- 

 growing, I have made a success of it, I may now be able to contribute 

 something that will encourage and aid new beginners in the business. 



First, I will say that fruit growing under the most favorable con- 

 ditions, like every other industry, has its drawbacks and difficulties to 

 be overcome. And it is well that Tt has, or fruit would have no com- 

 mercial value. God created man and gave him dominion in this world 

 and designed that he should work and overcome the many obstacles 

 that would block the way to success and lead to the highest plain of 

 civilization. When we go to market we sell the product of our labor. 

 If it cost no labor to produce it, we would soon find no market. 



H— 15 



