Impor tant De cision 
Black Ben D avis and Gano NOT Identical 
Additional Evidence Shows Conclusively that BLACK BEN DAVIS 
Originated as a SEEDLING in Washington Co., Ark., and that it 
and Gano are SEP ARATE and DISTINCT V ARIETIES. 
At the Annual Meeting of the Ark. State Hort. Society held at Van Buren, Ark., Jan. 12, 13,14,1904, a motion was carried “That a committee of 
three be appointed to investigate the origin of the Black Ben Davis and its relation to Gano, and to report to the Asssociation at its pleasure. The 
committee submitted the following report, together with the evidence, all of which was adopted with only one dissenting vote. 
Van Buren, Ark., Jan. 14,1904—To the Arkansas State Horticultural Society.— Gentlemen: Your committee appointed to investigate the origin 
of Black Ben Davis apple and the claim of some horticulturists that the apple is identical with the Gano, respectfully beg leave to report as follows: 
We are thoroughly convinced, after a rigid investigation of the facts, that the Black Ben Davis originated in Washington County, Arkansas, 
on a farm owned by Alexander Black, commonly known as the. “Parson Black Farm;” that while it is of the Ben Davis type and has some of the 
characteristics of the apple known as Gano, it is a separate and distinct variety. . _ 
In substantiation of this opinion we herewith submit the following testimony, which testimony we feel certain has never been presented to any commit¬ 
tee or body of horticulturists before, and that if this testimony had been secured by the Missouri Horticultural Committee their repoit would have 
been in accordance with our conclusions. . ^ INCENHELLBR ) 
We ask that this testimony be filed with these findings as a part of this report. Respectfully submitted, A. W. 1 oole , Committee 
_ J. E. Reynolds ) 
The Committee filed with other evidence, an Abstract of Title showing that Parson Alexander Black filed his homestead entry on Sept. 9, 1869, Patent 
was granted him from U. S. Government on Nov. 6,1874; Alexander Black sold to J. S. Eally, Dec. 3,1877; J. S. Eally sold to J. D. Moore; Moore sold to J. 
F. Reagan, March 8,1883; J. F. Reagan sold to Nathan S. Thomas April, 11,1887. Mr. Thomas has lived continuously on the old Black homestead ever since. 
This Abstract shows every owner of the old Black homestead from the time of its first settlement to the present time. .The statements submitted below 
show conclusively (if any evidence in addition to the statements of Mr. and Mrs. Reagan is needed) that the only fruit trees ever planted on the 
Black farm were 100 apple trees planted by Alexander Black in 1870 and later, three or four years after the Black Ben Davis seedling 
Came Up, another small orchard, which was planted by Mr. Reagan. The trees planted by Mr. Black were thirteen years old and in full bearing 
when Mr. Reagan moved on the place. 
THE EVIDENCE 
Statement of Mrs. J. F. Reagan.— I was born 
and raised near Rhea, Washington county, Ark. 
My maiden name was Holt. My father was a 
nurseryman and is still living. He began the 
nursery business early after the war, about the 
second year after the war. At that time I did 
not know of any fruit tree agents, had never 
seen or heard of one and didn’t know there was 
such a thing. I assisted my father in making 
grafts and was often in the nursery and I know 
a seedling tree from a grafted tree. We 
bought the farm known as the Parson Black farm 
from John D. Moore, and moved to the place in 
1883. We lived there four years, leaving there 
in the spring of 1887. I remember a SEED¬ 
LING apple tree that grew near a cedar tree; 
it was three or four years old when we moved 
on the place. It didn’t bear any the first year 
we were there nor the second, but the third 
year it bore a few apples. I didn’t notice them 
particularly because there were very few on the 
tree and the old orchard was full of apples that 
year. I had spoken to my husband three or 
four times previous to that about cutting down 
that little scrubby seedling. I thought it 
would interfere with the cedar tree and didn’t 
think it would amount to much. He insisted 
that we leave them to grow together. The 
fourth year this tree bore full of beautiful ap¬ 
ples which attracted my attention by the color 
and shape, different from any I had ever seen 
before. I was so attracted by it that I was 
anxious to have the apple introduced in the 
country and one Mr. Geo. Guthrie came to our 
house, cutting scions from the old orchard, and 
I asked him to take some of the twigs from 
that seedling tree. He asked me what it was 
and I said it was a seedling and we had no 
name for it, but it was the finest color and 
different shape of any apple I had ever seen 
in the country, and I thought it ought to be 
propagated from. So he took some of the 
twigs and grafted them. He just took a few, 
the trees from which he planted on his own 
place, which place is now owned by John F. 
Bain. After we left there in 1887 I never saw 
the ground again where that tree grew until 
January 5th of this year, which was seventeen 
years after I left. I had learned that the tree 
had died and been destroyed, but I knew that if 
the cedar tree was still standing that I could 
locate the apple tree pretty near. I went over 
there and found the old cedar tree and I thought 
the apple tree was about four or five feet, of it. 
They dug for the roots and found them within 
a foot and a half or less of where I thought 
the tree stood. The roots were found about two 
and one-half feet below the surface. I 
was afterwards glad that my husband did not 
cut this seedling tree down, for when it bore 
that fourth year, I knew it was a valuable fruit 
and it attracted the attention of the neighbors 
all around. My brother said that he wanted 
grafts made from that tree — said he knew it 
was a valuable tree. My father got his roots 
for grafting by taking the oxen and plowing 
up the roots of the trees in the orchard, and cut 
the roots up for grafts. I was raised in that 
country and most everybody was kin to me and 
I had been in all the orchards that were there 
at that time and never seen anything like that 
apple before. I knew that country before Mr. 
Black bought place, when it was all in woods. 
This seedling tree was not in a row with any 
of the other trees — Mrs. J. F. Reagan. 
Statement of John F. Reagan . — I owned a 
farm in Washington Co-, known as the Parson 
Black farm, which I bought in 1883. I lived 
on that place four years, leaving there in 1887. 
There were bearing trees on the place when I 
bought it; they were planted by Alexander 
Black, known there as Parson Black. I bought 
the place from John D. Moore. When I bought 
the place there was a little scrubby seedling 
three or four years old growing near a cedar. 
My wife tried to get me to cut it down several 
times so as to give the cedar a better chance. 
I told her I would not cut it down, but let them 
both grow together. The tree did not show any 
fruit the first or second years I was there; it 
bore a few apples the third year, and the fourth 
year it bore a good crop for a tree of that size 
and age The limbs of the seeding and cedar 
had grown in together. The orchard that was 
on the place was planted out in 1870, but I knew 
the place before a tree was planted on it. In 
1869 when Mr. Black moved on the place 
there wasn’t any improvement on it. It was all 
in timber and he cleaned up a little garden spot 
before he moved in. The orchard that Mr. 
Black planted was bearing when we moved 
there. There were different kinds of apples, 
some Summer Queen, some sweet apples, some 
Shannon, Little Romanite, some Red and Yellow 
June and some Limbertwig. 
In those days they made grafts by taking 
the surface roots from old trees and cutting them 
in pieces. I hauled some of the Shannon apples 
to Fort Smith; sold some few others, but dried 
what we didn’t sell. We peeled our apples near 
the cedar tree. Old peelings and cores were in 
evidence there where people had peeled there be¬ 
fore we came and we used the same place for 
peeling ours. I sold the place in 1887 to Nathan 
Thomas; he moved in the same day I went out, 
April 11, 1887. I knew Alexander Black well; 
he performed the marriage ceremony for me and 
my wife; I knew Eally and Moore. Moore is 
still living and is a very old man. I was in that 
country and knew it before Black took up his 
homestead, and it was all in timber, not a tree on 
it—that is, apple tree. Uncle Jack Rich, who is 
now a very old man, saw the trees in bearing on 
my place and said he never saw anything as fine 
as that seedling apple. After Guthrie grafted it, 
it was sometimes called “Reagan’s Red” and some 
people still call it by that name. I am a Baptist 
minister. — John F. Reagan. 
Statement of Stephen Thomas. — I moved on 
to my place, adjoining the Black farm, in 1870 
and have lived on it continuously since that 
time. When I came to my place Parson Black 
had moved on to his homestead the fall before 
and had cleared out a little garden spot. In 
1870 he planted the old orchard that is on the 
place. Parson Black sold the place to J. S. 
Eally, who lived on it only about one month. 
Eally did not plant any trees on the place, but 
sold the place to John D. Moore. Moore never 
livt:d on the place. I had it in my charge while 
Moore owned it Moore sold the place to John 
F. Reagan. No trees were planted on the place 
while it was owned by Moore or Eally. Reagan 
sold the place to Nathan Thomas, who still lives 
there. — Stephen Thomas. 
Statement of D, K. Holt. — I went to growing 
nursery stock in Washington county soon af¬ 
ter the war. I cut my scions from such trees 
as were then growing in the neighborhood. I 
sold the trees to Parson Black that he planted 
on his homestead in 1870. I never had 
seen any apple like the seedling that 
afterwards grew on the Black farm. I 
sold Mr. Black 100 trees. 
Statement of Widow of J. S. Eally.—We 
lived on the Parson Black place for about one 
month. It was in July, or June and July, and 
there were no trees planted on the place 
while we were on it. 
Statement of B. L. Hatchett— Evansville, 
Ark., Jan. B, 1904.—Col. W. G. Vincenheller, 
Fayetteville, Ark.: Am sorry I can’t be with you 
at Van Buren. A few words concerning Black 
Ben Davis: It is positively a seedling that orig¬ 
inated on Mr. Black’s farm and the trees that 
stand on Mr. Bain’s farm near Lincoln are -from 
scions cut from the original tree of Mr. Black, 
and there is a difference between them and 
Gano. I have been growing the B. B. D. in 
orchard and in nursery and also have Gano in 
orchard and in nursery. The B. B. D is a darker 
tree in growing and leaves darker green and a 
better grower in orchard and in nursery 
than Gano and the apples are better and hang 
on trees longer than Gano and are better 
keepers and I don’t see why anyone can’t see 
the difference. The Black Ben Davis is 
positively a seedling that originated on Par¬ 
son Black’s farm near Cincinnati, Ark. I re¬ 
gret that I can’t be with you.—B. L. Hatchett 
Statement of Wm. Norwood.—I have given 
special attention to the Black Ben Davis since 
1895. I can readily distinguish the Black Ben 
Davis apple from the Gano as they grow in our 
country. The Black Ben Davis is much darker 
and more uniform in color and is more oblong 
in shape. I live in the vicinity where the Black 
Ben Davis originated. I have noticed the fruit 
growing on the Bain trees and also noticed the 
trees both in nursery and orchard and they are 
positively different from Gano.—W m. Norwood, 
Statement of L. M. Winans. —My home is Sey¬ 
mour, Mo. The Black Ben Davis as grown in my 
orchard side by side with the Gano is far 
different. The Black Ben Davis tree is more 
of an upright grower strong and thrifty. Gano 
grows more on the Willowtwig form, drooping, 
spreads more and a more wiry growth. Fruit 
of Black Ben Davis as my trees have fruited is 
an oblong apple, uniformly a very dark red 
—no stripes. My Gano have some dark colored 
apples, but mostly with stripes or with spots, 
the white spots prevailing; and the general crop 
is flat. I have made the test and selected Black 
Ben Davis from Gano when piled together. I 
have from three to four thousand trees of each 
variety; am still planting Black Ben Davis 
but NOT Gano. 
Statement of W. S. Jull.— My home is in 
Springfield, Mo. My business is commission and 
produce. While on the Chicago market I re¬ 
ceived apples from Mr. Winans located at Sey¬ 
mour, and among these were Black Ben Davis. 
They resembled over-grown, fancy, highly col¬ 
ored Jonathan more than anything else. The 
Ganos which are received from Illinois, Missouri 
and the Pacific coast, are more striped, and 
white spots very pronounced, which makes them 
a very handsome apple, especially when put in 
boxes. W e can easily distinguish the two varie¬ 
ties from a commercial standpoint; the Gano 
will sell usually on a par with the Ben Davis 
and Missouri Pippin, while Black Ben Davis 
and Jonathan are taken for fancy fruit 
stand apples.— W. S. Jull. 
Statement of Frank Femmons.— Home Or¬ 
chard, Ahwahnee, Cal., Jan. 4, 1904: Col. 
W. G. Vincenheller, Fayetteville, Ark. I notice 
that the annual meeting of the Horticultural 
Society of Arkansas will convene in a few days. 
The interest I feel in horticulture and the 
desire to do all I can to encourage the intro¬ 
duction of the best varieties of all kinds of 
fruits into the orchards of the whole country, 
and the knowledge I have had of your efforts in 
the same direction must be my apology for ad¬ 
dressing you. 
Over thirty years ago I had some knowledge 
of portions of your state as an apple growing 
section. When I began experimenting here to 
find the best apples adapted to our mountain fruit 
belt, I felt that the Ozark Mountains was the 
most probable source from which to get varie¬ 
ties, and made an attempt in that line about 
1885, but without success. 
When years after I learned that Stark Bro’s 
of Louisiana, Mo., were looking to the same sec¬ 
tion for new and better apples I was greatly 
pleased. But let me say this, that beyond a sin¬ 
cere friendship and obtaining varieties of them 
from time to time, I have no connection with their 
nursery business or any other. My only aim is to 
find the best from whatever source and if possible 
encourage others to show their usefulness. ) 
I had fruited many varieties of the Ozark ap¬ 
ples before receiving scions of Black Ben Davis 
in 1898 and was thinking well of some of them. 
Coffelt, M. B. Twig, Gano and some others were 
promising, but when Black B. D. fruited in '99 
the combination of its strong growth, the dark 
green healthy foliage, the wonderful beauty, fine 
texture and keeping quality of its fruit delighted 
me, and it has never failed of a full crop 
since. While a few others may have a higher 
quality in flavor, I have never before seen an 
apple that so greatly pleased me, and year by 
year it has grown in my estimation. I now have 
over a hundred trees in bearing and wish they 
were five or ten times as many. As it devel¬ 
ops here I am convinced that it stands to-day 
without a peer as a commercial apple, and I 
hope to see the day when it will be so thought of 
and planted wherever the best apples can be 
grown, for the morning sunrise of apple demand 
is but just breaking into our mountain valleys 
and over their slopes where the apple finds its 
most congenial home and grows to its highest per¬ 
fection. 
Like everything else of high excellence, the 
friends of another variety have been making the 
attempt to overshadow B. B. D. From my exper¬ 
ience here with the two varieties I can’t think 
of them as rivals at all. While B. B. D. has 
grown year by year in my estimation, the other, 
under like conditions, has failed to give satisfac¬ 
tion. The details of my observations of the two 
varieties would only be a repetition of what I 
have written from time to time and I have no 
reason now to change my conclusions in any 
particular. 
Black Ben Davis appears to grow here to its 
full development. Gano, I have reason to believe, 
is not as fine as in some other locations and while 
the two apples are evidently near related in par¬ 
entage, I have no doubt of their separate and 
distinct origin nor have I a doubt of the great 
superiority of Black Ben D. as a commercial 
variety. 
Arkansas has a right to be proud of the high 
excellence of some of the new apples it has pro¬ 
duced. The local conditions of soil and climate 
seem to develop the latent possibilities in varia¬ 
tions and fixing them as a new type. What higher 
development it may reach we do not know, but I 
wish to express the hope that your State Society 
of Horticulture will feel that it cannot permit the 
high honor of one of its fairest productions to 
pass from its keeping. 
With a friendly greeting from Cal. to you and 
every true lover of orchard trees and orchard 
productions.— Frank Femmons. 
COMPLIMENTARY OFFER 
TO RESPONSIBLE 0RCHARDISTS 
We are willing to leave the final settlement of 
the Black Ben Davis-Gano controversy to the de¬ 
cision of the intelligent orchardists of the United 
States. We have no hesitancy in doing so. 
WE OFFER to Government, State and Private 
Experiment Stations and to responsible orchard¬ 
ists, scions for top grafting of the genuine stock 
of Black Ben Davis. We make no charge for the 
scions—you will be at no expense except express 
charges. It is understood that you will give us the 
benefit of your experience with the variety and 
also prevent all further propagating from 
the scions furnished by us. 
N. B. Caution. Unscrupulous and careless 
parties are cutting scions from all sorts of Ben 
Davis trees in Ark. and selling them as Black Ben 
Davis. Eminent pomologists are familiar with this 
careless and underhand work and have called our 
attention to the importance of keeping Black Ben 
Davis stock pure. To our positive knowledge, 
thousands of Gano, Red Ben Davis and even old 
Ben Davis scions have been sent out of Ark. for 
Black Ben Davis. A few unscrupulous parties 
have even succeeded in securing the true # scions of 
Black Ben and being unable to use that name have 
sold them as Gano. Therefore we make the 
above offer to those who are interested, in order 
that they may test to their entire satisfaction, 
Black Ben Davis from the nine Bain trees 
propagated from the original seedling tree as 
grown on the old Parson Black farm. 
Thousands of Black Ben Davis trees have been 
planted during the last 10 years and will soon 
be bearing. Our statements and those of the 
friends of B. B. D. will be fully substantiated in 
the near future. And, by the way: Isn’t it 
indicative when every disinterested orchardist 
having B. B. D. and Gano bearing side by side, 
pronounces Black Ben not only different from 
Gano, but SUPERIOR? Many letters have come 
to us from orchardists who have Black Ben in 
bearing and from experts who have examined and 
tested the fruit. These we have had printed and 
will mail a copy FREE to all who ask. 
To Responsible Orchard Planters we 
will furnish, complimentary, for testing, scions 
for top grafting, from trees of our most valuable 
and rare kinds. We especially desire to have 
tested in several thousand orchards, several rare 
and most promising apples not yet introduced. 
This plan of testing new sorts is along the line of 
experimenting recommended by Prof. L. H. Bailey 
of Cornell University, before the Nat’l Nursery¬ 
men’s Ass’n at Detroit last year. Kindly refer to 
this offer when writing. Scions furnished during 
March and April; buds in Aug. 
STARK BROS K u o2ch»rds <2 
LOUISIANA, M0., Dansville, N. Y. 
Atlantic, Iowa; Fayetteville, Ark.; Portland, N. Y., Etc. 
