state Horticultural Society. 



trees and fruit could be compared ' and to secure fruit that could be 

 kept in storage and compared from time to time during the winter 

 and spring. 



"A letter was addressed to the introducers of Black Ben Davis, asking 

 for data concerning the origin of this variety and the location of the trees 

 from which they secured their scions, in order that the committee might 

 visit these trees. This request was promptly responded to by the 

 introducers. One of the leading members of their firm accompanied 

 the committee to the Arkansas orchard from which they secured their 

 Black Ben Davis scions. Every possible effort was made by them to 

 put the committee in possession of the necessary facts and materials for 

 the investigation and they co-operated with the committee throughout 

 with enthusiastic zeal to facilitate a thorough and impartial investigation. 



"The committee was able to locate then the original Black Ben Davis 

 tree so far as it was known in the neighborhood, but could obtain na 

 positive evidence as to whether or not this tree was a seedling. It 

 was found also that the variety had locally sometimes been called Reagan, 

 in honor of the owner of the farm at the time the variety was being 

 propagated there. The introducers used the name Black Ben Davis, 

 selecting the word Black in honor of the owner of the place where the 

 first tree started in the neighborhood and the name Ben Davis because 

 the apple? was of the Ben Davis type and in some respects resembled 

 the latter variety. The committee also saw Black Ben Davis growing 

 on younger trees in the neighborhood of Lincoln, and took specimens of 

 fruit and twigs from various places to compare with Gano. 



"Since Gano has been named and has been disseminated as a dis- 

 tinct variety attention has frequently been called to old trees of this 

 variety, growing here and there in Missouri and adjoining states. In 

 some cases the old Jacks orchard in Missouri has been definitely traced as 

 the source from which these trees came. In other cases where the source 

 from which the trees came cannot be definitely determined the orchards 

 frequently contain Ben Davis and other varieties which were being dis- 

 seminated mainly from the old Jacks orchard at about the time these trees 

 must have been planted out. Two trees of Gano have been definitely 

 reported from an old orchard in Kearney, which was planted out about 

 1840, the two Gano trees being apparently of the original planting. 



"The committee secured fruit from the Black Ben Davis trees in the 

 Bain orchard and also from other young trees of the same variety grow- 

 ing in the vicinity of Lincoln. Fruit was selected from old and young 

 trees in different orchards in order to fairly represent the variety as grown 

 under different conditions. Fruit was also secured from the Gano trees 



