A Fruit Survey oe Mesa County 
29 
and Mississippi Valley markets. Gano will grow on almost any 
apple soils, but attains better color on the well-drained loams. 
Grand Valley grows this apple to perfection. 
Ben Davis was originally grown more than any other variety 
in Grand Valley. There are still a great many bearing trees, but 
they are mostly old ones. In the Grand Junction and Fruita Dis¬ 
tricts there are a great many acres of Ben Davis trees. In the 
younger plantings, however, it is usually supplanted by Gano. Ben 
Davis is poor in quality and its chief virtue lies in its hardiness, 
growth habit, productiveness and keeping qualities. 
Missouri Pippin is used very extensively for fillers. It is a 
small, slow-growing tree, very prolific and a regular bearer. It is 
grown most extensively in the Clifton District. The fruit itself is 
usually small, of a greenish-red or often dark-red color, with prom¬ 
inent white dots. The quality is rather poor, but the apple is well 
adapted for storage purposes. 
Rome Beauty ranks sixth in order of percentage. It is one 
of Colorado’s best apples. The fruit is usually of good size, yel¬ 
lowish-red or light red in color, with fairly conspicuous dots. The 
quality is good, but the texture of flesh is somewhat coarse. The 
apple is a good shipper and keeps well. It has a ready sale in the 
better markets. 
The following varieties are sufficiently numerous to comprise 
between .1% and 1% of trees planted, named in order of impor¬ 
tance: Stayman, Black Ben, Grimes, Minkler, Spitzenburg, Arkan¬ 
sas Black, McIntosh, King David, Winter Banana, Shackleford, 
Geniton, Wealthy, Champion, Lawver, Senator, Yellow Transpar¬ 
ent, and Willow Twig. 
The best early varieties for the Valley are Yellow Transpar¬ 
ent and Wealthy. Yellow Transparent ripens late in July, and the 
Wealthy in the early part of September. These are both splendid 
apples,, but are not much grown commercially, as the market for 
early apples is limited. 
TABLE IV.—SIX PRINCIPAL VARIETIES OF APPLES, SHOWING PERCENTAGES 
GROWN IN EACH DISTRICT AND IN ENTIRE VALLEY. 
Entire 
Variety Palisade Clifton Grand Jet. Fruita Loma Valley 
Jonathan . 31.0 27.0 24.0 27.0 23.4 26.5 
Winesap . 15.7 21.0 16.2 12.2 22.6 18.7 
Gano . 8.1 16.8 17.6 22.3 17.4 17.5 
Ben Davis. 11.6 9.5 12.6 14.8 0.9 10.1 
Missouri Pippin . 7.5 9.5 4.5 5.0 8.9 7.6 
Rome Beauty . 4.9 4.2 5.0 2.2 15.1 5.3 
All Others (over 100 var¬ 
ieties) . 21.2 12.0 20.1 16.5 11.7 14.3 
Totals . 100.0 100.0 100v0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
