THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
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poor farm whose owner was an old gentleman named Ben 
Davis, who raised apple trees and sold to his neighbors in a 
small way. He had no name for the apple in question, and 
Mr. Downer named it for the man from whom he had obtained 
it. He said Mr. Davis claimed to have raised it from a seed. 
There is some question as to who is the originator of the Ben 
Davis apple, but to my mind there is no question as to its 
being the greatest money-maker, and one that adapts itself to 
all soils and is so generally popular for an apple of poor flavor 
and not a very good keeper. 
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 
The Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horti¬ 
culturists was incorporated in Washington, D. C., on May 14th, 
under a national charter, “a privilege and a franchise hitherto 
so jealously guarded by Congress, that the societies possessing 
these can be numbered on the fingers of one hand,” says the 
Florists’ Exchange. 
The date of the annual meeting was fixed for the third 
Tuesday in August, at Buffalo, N. Y. The officers elected to 
manage the affairs of the society until the first annual meeting 
are : President, Patrick O’Mara ; first vice-president, Wm. F. 
Lasting, Buffalo ; secretary, Wm. J. Stewart ; treasurer, H. B- 
Beatty ; executive board, Messrs. J. F. Sullivan, A. H. Cart- 
ledge, J. D. Carmody, Alex. Wallace, Richard Witterstsetter 
and Emil Buettner. 
Provision was made for an exhibition to be held, whenever 
practicable, at each annual convention, of materials and manu¬ 
factures used in and products of horticulture. 
NOTED FRUIT SECTIONS. 
An exchange has the following regarding the fruit sections 
of the United States of national reputation : First, the 
greatest fruit producing section is southern California, with an 
output of citrus fruits, oranges and lemons, for the year begin¬ 
ning November 1, 1900, of a minimum estimate of 18,000 cars 
and a maximum estimate of 23,000 cars. Probably 20,000 
cars is about the right figure. 
The second largest single fruit producing section is the 
Chautauqua-Erie grape district with a total output in 1899 of 
8,000 cars. This includes fresh grapes and grape juice but 
not fermented wine. This district includes parts of two 
counties in Western New York and one county in North¬ 
western Pennsylvania. 
Third in rank in fruit shipments is the prune output of Cali¬ 
fornia which for 1899 was 5 > 7 I1C cars ten terns each. Fol¬ 
lowing this, an industry only sixteen years old, is the Cali¬ 
fornia raisin industry which in 1899 amounted to 3,57 8 cars. 
The largest single strawberry section is in Northwestern 
Arkansas, and Southwestern Missouri. We cannot give the 
total cars. One county in Virginia and Oswego county, New 
York, are also strawberry centers of national reputation. 
The largest single peach orchards are found in Northern 
Georgia, but the total output from the state will not equal 
that from Michigan, the southern part of the state taking the 
lead, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor being leading shipping 
points. 
In apples, a few counties bordering Lake Ontario, have 
perhaps the largest output, although the largest single apple 
orchards are found in Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas. 
Pears, plums, and quinces do not seem to be exclusively 
grown in any one section to the extent to give that section a 
national reputation. New Jersey and California are each large 
pear growers. 
OFF FOR MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES. 
George C. Roeding, of the Fancher Creek Nurseries, near 
h resno, says the California Fruit Grower, the gentleman who 
offers a substantial cash prize for a suitable and acceptable 
name for the California Smyrna fig, the maturing of which 
variety in this state was made possible by his investigations 
and experiments, backed by the United States Department of 
Agriculture and the latter’s importation of the blastophaga, 
left on Wednesday of this week for an extended trip through 
the fig growing countries bordering on the Mediterranean, 
taking in portions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. He will be 
absent some five or six months, and undertakes the trip in 
order to learn more regarding the Smyrna fig and its culture, 
caprification and the method of gathering, curing and packing 
the crop, etc. Mr. Roeding will travel as a commissioner of 
the United States. In his absence Mr. Roeding’s business 
interests will be in charge of his brother. 
MARYLAND PEACH GROWING. 
H. P. Gould of the Maryland Experiment Station, in a 
recent bulletin, gives the following information regarding 
peach growing in that state : 
It is impossible to form an accurate estimate of the extent 
of peach growing in this state ; but from data that has been 
collected, some conception can be formed of its present mag- 
ni ude. The bulk of the peach crop is produced in five coun¬ 
ties—three Eastern Shore counties and two Western Shore. 
As nearly as can be determined, the following figures represent 
the extent of the industry in the various counties : Wash¬ 
ington county, 1,000,000 trees ; Kent county, 450,000 trees ; 
Caroline county, 450,000 trees ; Anne Arundel county, 
300,000 trees ; Queen Anne county, 300,000 trees; all other 
counties, 500,000 trees ; total, 3,000,000 trees. 
There is nothing stable about peach growing. There are 
sections in Maryland once famous for great production of 
fruit, that now possess only here and there a dilapidated 
orchard. In all of the extensive peach growing sections of 
the state, the industry is even now waning. Tens of thous¬ 
ands of trees have been rooted up within the past six or eight 
years. At the same time the industry is being gradually de¬ 
veloped in new areas with good prospects of success. 
D. C Rupp, of H. S. Rupp & Sons, Shiremanstown, Pa., has bought 
<‘The H. S. Rupp estate’s” interest of the Cumberland Nurseries, of 
which he was a half owner. He will control the whole business as the 
sole proprietor. The address has been changed from H. 8. Rupp & 
Sons, to D. C. Rupp. This firm did a good business this spring. They 
have sold out of nearly everything except Norway maple and apple. 
W. B. Wiiittier, South Framingham, Mass., May 10, 1901 “ I 
consider the journal valuable, and don’t want to discontinue it. En¬ 
closed I hand you $1 for another year.” 
George A. Sweet, Dansvii.ee, N. Y., May 20, 1901—“ Enclosed 
find draft for $1.00 in payment of above. We enjoy and profit by the 
National Nurseryman and ‘can’t keep house without it.’ ” 
