Vol. LXV. No. 2939, 
NEW YORK, MAY 26, 1906. 
WEEKLY. $1.00 PER YEAR. 
FRIENDS OF BEN DAVIS TALK. 
Crack Specimens from Virginia. 
We send you by express a basket of Ben Davis 
apples for you to test as to their quality, not as to size 
and appearance, as they are not apples that have been 
selected. They were barreled last Fall and put in barn 
until after the middle of April, and kept in good shape, 
only a few rotting. We people down here think them of 
a very good quality, about on equality with the Bald¬ 
win. We certainly think they are 
not the poorest in quality as Harvey 
Losee says on page 349; evidently 
he has never eaten a fair specimen 
of the Ben Davis. He should not 
judge all by the green specimens 
that he happened to bite into. We 
consider the cash realized from our 
Ben Davis as honest as the money 
he will get from his orchard that 
he is going to plant, and we do 
not have to brand Spy either to 
sell them. We have better apples 
than the Ben Davis, but if they 
are the poorest quality, we certain¬ 
ly would like to have some of the 
very choicest kinds before we en¬ 
large our orchard of about 4,000 
trees, a good part of them bearing 
now. Our three standard varieties 
are York Imperial, Ben Davis and 
Winesap, which always find eager 
buyers at good prices. j. w. s. 
Woodstock, Va. 
R. N.-Y.—The apples were not 
the best in appearance, and were 
not by any means equal to Baldwin 
as grown in New England, but in 
quality were above the average Ben 
Davis. There is no question but 
that this variety does much better 
in some sections than in others. 
The great mistake is made in advis¬ 
ing its planting everywhere without 
considering locality. 
Should Be Renamed in Colorado 
Our good friend, Harvey Losee 
(page 349), seems to harbor a little 
grudge against Benjamin Davis, 
Esq. Perhaps he has good reason, 
and, maybe, excellent reasons from 
the sample “bit” into, yet it is not 
well to emulate one of the colored 
J. P.s I read about, who when the 
attorney for the defendant began 
to introduce his evidence was met 
with “You sit right down dar, Mis- 
tah Green; I dun hear dis case and 
’cided it.” Turning to page 362 I 
read, “Spy $4.50 and $5.00, Ben 
Davis, $4.50 and $5.00.” Further I 
read under the head of “Apples,” 
“I his is the ‘open season’ for Ben 
Davis here, and very fine specimens 
of western-grown (italics mine) are 
seen. The friends of this variety have done much to 
bring it into disrepute by urging indiscriminate planting 
of it wherever apples will grow, and the result has been 
a lot of worthless fruit.” Every word of this quota¬ 
tion I can heartily endorse, and I call Friend Losee’s 
attention to it. Please notice the words “western- 
grown,” and then please let it enter your mind that 
most probably these are Colorado fruits, and they 
don’t seem to suffer so badly in comparison with the 
Spy,’ now really do they? The fact is, Colorado 
can and does raise many carloads of Ben Davis apples 
that are juicy, crisp, and by no means a bad hand 
eating apple, and I will be fair enough to add that we 
also raise some poor enough to justify our friend’s 
remarks. While in my immediate neighborhood I know 
of but one strain, I am reliably informed there are 
three others, and some not very good, yet almost any 
of our apples can be seriously injured by not giving 
water at proper times, and having learned this (most 
of us), we are standing strictly on the merits of our 
fruits. We do not feel hurt at anyone’s preference. 
That is natural and inevitable, but give us “a square 
deal.” I will add that 1 believe the growers of Colorado 
would be fully justified in renaming this fruit, for it 
is not the eastern fruit by a long way, and I presume 
as I was raised and have been much in the East, I 
ought to know. I thank Friend Losee for bringing the 
matter up. t. lytle. 
Otero Co., Colo. 
R. N.-Y.—The best specimens of Ben Davis we ever 
tasted came from Colorado. They were really juicy— 
but, as Mr. Lytle says, some of the western fruit is like 
a mixture of beeswax and sawdust. “Colorado Beauty” 
wouldn’t be a bad name for Ben Davis in his favorite 
home, where quality is added to other virtues. 
Ben Davis Money Talks. 
No guesswork here. I enclose you the account sales 
as they come to me for Ben Davis apples from 90 nine- 
year-old trees. These trees are planted 20 feet apart 
each way, and occupy less than an acre of ground. The 
reader can figure out what it would be per acre, as 
there are 108 trees to the acre 
planted 20x20. I see some articles 
and discussions on the Ben Davis 
apple. I consider the Ben Davis 
apple to the apple family as I do 
the Elberta peach to the different 
varieties of peaches. I planted, the 
same time I planted the Ben Davis, 
Grimes Golden, Jonathan and York 
Imperial. Last year there were only 
a few Grimes Golden and York 
Imperial, while the Jonathan had a 
fine crop. Orlando Harrison of 
Maryland was here when we were 
packing the Jonathan. He did not 
know them until I told him. He 
said they were as fine as he ever 
saw. I then went with him to the 
orchard and showed him the Ben 
Davis. He said then and there, “I 
had no idea you could raise such 
apples.” He further said that I 
must have apple land. I told him 
we have plenty of it, but very few 
in my section turn their attention 
to fruit growing. Our trees are 
all full of bloom. Kieffcr pears are 
out of bloom, trees set full of pears. 
Peaches bid fair for a No. 1 crop 
so far. Wheat large for the season, 
and promises a large yield. Every 
one is planting corn; by next week 
nearly all will be planted except 
the sweet corn for the canneries, 
of which there is quite a large acre¬ 
age planted, exceeding 1,000 acres 
per year. james t. shallcross. 
Newcastle Co., Del. 
The Ben Davis apples were sold 
by J. Downham, of Philadelphia, 
who made the following returns: 
February 5, 24 barrels Ben Davis 
apples at $5, $120; February 19, 10 
barrels at $5.25. $52.50; February 22, 
19 barrels at $5.75; $109.25; March 
7, 7 barrels at $5.50, $38.50; April 3, 
10 barrels at $5.75, $57.50; April 3, 
8 barrels at $5.50, $44. Total, 
$421.75. Cartage, $3.90; commission, 
$29,52, $33.42; net proceeds, $388.33. 
CRIMSON CLOVER. 
I am sitting by my window to-day 
enjoying the gentle rainfall. Just be¬ 
yond my lawn lies a field nearly half 
a mile in length, which is now resplendent in glory. 
Last June, before the final cultivation of the corn crop 
that was then growing upon that field, T sowed about 12 
pounds of Crimson or Scarlet clover seed upon each 
acre. The seed was sown broadcast with an ordinary 
“whirligig” seeder, and was covered by the two-horse 
cultivator as the corn was “laid by,” as western farm¬ 
ers say. A fine stand was thus secured. It wintered 
well, and at the present time stands about two feet 
high, and is a solid mass of crimson blossoms. As a 
thing of beauty it would be hard to find anything equal 
CLEMATIS HENRYI. REDUCED IN SIZE. Fig. 175. See Ruralisms, Page 442. 
