178 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



yellow, fine grained, subacid and very good, juicy. It is grown to 

 some extent in a few sections of the State; it is probably more grown 

 in Johnson County than elsewhere. It has not proved valuable. 



A7'Tcansas Belle. 

 This variety very closely resembles the Gaiio, and it has been 

 claimed that the two are identical. A letter from Mr. L). 

 Branchcomb of lihea. Ark., states that he planted the seed from 

 which grew the original tree. It does not seem to have been 

 much planted and i)robably will not be, as it does not appear 

 that it is in any way superior to the Gano. 



Be7i Davis. 



The place of origin of this variety has always been in doubt. 

 Downing, in " Fruits and Fruit Trees of America," edition of 

 1857, says it is supposed to have come from Todd County, Ky., 

 but in the edition of 1872 he says that the origin is unknown. 

 It has been attributed to Virginia, ISTorth Carolina, New York, 

 Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. The statements giving New 

 York and Missouri origins are without doubt erroneous. Those 

 attributing it to North Carolina and Virginia are to the effect 

 that the trees or scions were taken from one or the other of these 

 States to Kentucky, from whence it was disseminated. So far 

 as the writer is aware, there is no record of its occurrence in 

 either of these States except as introduced from outside nurs- 

 eries. It is extremely probable that the apple originated or at 

 least was first propagated from scions in either Kentucky or 

 Tennessee. The late Wm. M. Howsley of Kansas gives the 

 following account of its origin : — 



In the year 1780, Wm. Davis and John D. Hill emigrated to Ken- 

 tucky and settled in that part of Logan County now called Butler 

 County. Tliey located near Capt. Ben Davis, the brother of Wm. Davis 

 and the brother-in-law of Hill. A few years afterward. Hill returned 

 to Virginia on business, and when he returned to Kentucky he brought 

 some apple grafts with him. Hill and Wm. Davis raised fruit from 

 these grafts. Capt. Ben Davis, finding the apple a desirable one, gi'afted 

 the same for himself, as well as raised a young nursery of it. These 

 Avei'e sold throughout the country. For want of knowing any other 

 name, the people called it the Ben Davis apple. The Davis family, 

 however, called it the Virginia Pippin.^ 



> Watts, Bulletin Tennessee Experiment Station, IX., 1, p. 7. 



