1910.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 179 



Mr. J. C. IloJges of Morris town, Tenn., thinks it is a Ten- 

 nessee apple, and gives the following story of its origin : — 



During most of the first half of the present century, and up to 1860 

 or thereabouts, there lived on Nolichucky River, within this (Hamblin) 

 county, a wealthy farmer whose name was Ben Davis. His son, R. A. 

 Davis, resides now at White Pine, Jefferson County, Tenn. On the 

 farm owned by Ben Davis originated the apple in question. From the 

 original tree others Avere proj^agated, and for many years before the 

 death of Ben Davis he raised and harvested large quantities of these 

 apples. The house of Ben Davis was on the great stock route from 

 Kentucky to the Carolinas. Many drovers made it a point to stop 

 with him in going and returning to the south. It was his custom to 

 supply their saddle bags with these apples, esjiecially on their return 

 trips. There was no name of the apple knoAvn to them, so they called 

 it the Ben Davis. Grafts or scions Avere taken to Kentucky, and the 

 apple was projiagated and disseminated there before it was in Ten- 

 nessee. I have obtained these facts on personal inquiry from the sons 

 of Ben Davis, above mentioned. And besides, these facts are well 

 known in the neighborhood among the older i^eople.* 



The writer has made considerable effort to follow up both of 

 these accounts and to ascertain if either one is the true history 

 of the variety. 



Concerning the Kentucky account, Mr. Ben McKenney of 

 Maquon, 111., states that the Ben Davis mentioned, who was his 

 grandfather, lived at Berry's Lick, Butler County, Ky., and that 

 it was from a neighbor of his, Nat Porter by name, that Dr. 

 Housely obtained the account above given. Ben Davis was a 

 nurseryman as well as a farmer and introduced several other 

 varieties. 



Concerning the Tennessee account, a letter from Mr. Hodges 

 expresses the conviction that this is the true origin of the variety. 

 It is stated by a daughter of this Ben Davis, who is not con- 

 nected with the Kentuckian of the same name, that the original 

 tree, which was well known to her, was destroyed in 1860, and 

 that it was eighteen years old at the time. This would seem 

 to indicate that this was not the original Ben Davis tree, as 

 the variety was well known over Kentucky, southern Indiana and 

 Illinois at about this time. Mr. Hodges, however, expresses the 

 belief that this particular tree was a sprout from the original, 



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



