THE 



Canadian Horticulturist 



Vol XVII. 



1894. 



No. 5. 



THE BEN DAVIS. 



t^^^s*^ 



[ERHAPS there is no apple about which more difference of 

 opinion exists than the Ben Davis. Like the Kieffer pear, the 

 Crescent strawberry, the Lombard plum, and the Concord 

 grape, we might say of the Ben Davis that, while far from 

 being the first of its class in quality, it stands at the head for 

 productiveness and consequent profit. The early orchardists 

 in Ontario planted their commercial orchards with the 

 Baldwin, but now find that in many localities instead of 

 being the most productive, it is the least so ; orchardists in 

 the Western States, on the other hand, have planted the Ben Davis in their 

 commercial orchards, and in fruitfulness at least it has not disappointed them. 

 In Southern Ontario many of the best orchards of Baldwin have been 

 almost barren for the last half decade of years, and it is for this reason we bring 

 under the notice of the owners an apple which is not a failure in this respect at 

 least. The late P. C. Dempsey, who was our director for Prince Edward Co., 

 had great confidence in the Ben Davis, and in our report for 1893, page 7, he 

 says, " I can make more money out of one tree of the Ben Davis than I can off 

 fifty Kings. We have a lot of trees of the latter variety twelve years planted, 

 and have never realized twelve barrels off them, but we have taken that many 

 off a single tree of the Ben Davis. For market value, we find that in England 

 the Ben Davis has sold as high as 32/ a barrel." 



At our meeeting in Peterboro' last December, Mr. Alex. McNeill cham- 

 pioned the Ben Davis. He said, " The Ben Davis is like a piece of cork in the 



