Il8 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



than there are Baldwins. From the point in IlHnois where the 

 apples begin to grow, clear down through Illinois, Missouri, 

 Arkansas, Nebraska and Kansas, the leading variety is that 

 much despised Ben Davis. It is only despised here in New 

 England, and by those who do not know it. I have been there 

 and talked with the fruit growers myself, and while the Jona- 

 than is raised down there in its highest state of perfection, I 

 heard only one man say that any variety paid better than the 

 Ben Davis. One man who had eighteen thousand trees, said: 

 "I get my Jonathans off early before I get at the others, and I 

 think they pay me about the best of any." Most of them say 

 that their best money-maker is the Ben Davis. 



But here in New England, I am sorry to say some are pre- 

 judiced against the Ben Davis. I do not believe there is a man 

 in the State of Maine today who has put out an orchard of 

 Ben Davis and half taken care of it, but has found it a very 

 profitable variety to raise. 



We are here for the purpose of promoting the fruit industry. 

 That is our object. That is what we went to Boston for, and 

 that is the purpose for which I attended the meeting of the Pom- 

 ological Society a year ago. It was to see if we couldn't get 

 together and do something for our mutual benefit. Well, we 

 grow Ben Davis. Why not let them grow? They have been 

 put in the market for more than thirty-five years, and they 

 haven't yet found any market that does not want them. The 

 Ben Davis has always sold among the best varieties across the 

 water. But since so much has been published in the papers and 

 said in relation to its quality, lots have turned against the Ben 

 Davis. I think it is a very poor policy for us to run down a 

 product that we have ourselves, that is one of our best paying 

 varieties. There might be more Ben Davis set and taken care 

 of if we told people to set just what they saw fit and did not 

 try to educate them not to use the Ben Davis. The two last 

 shipments of Ben Davis I have sent across the water, of my 

 own growing, netted $3.97. 



The fruit in those countries is not as soft and juicy and nice 

 flavored as ours, and they do not appreciate that in an apple. 

 Also, the common people there use most of their fruit cooked, 

 and they do not appreciate the difiference in flavor as a great 

 many Americans do. So I say let us produce and ship to them 



