The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-31
THE BEN DAVIS APPLE.
How a Man from Old Steubcn Was Set
Back When He Found 1t.

new 4OFk sun
BET hen you don't know what a Ben
Davis apple is" said confident Steubeen
here in York State think we know heap.
but I'll make it three hens that you can
take in all the country between the Hudson
and the lakes and you cant find man,
Davis apple is. Leaving out me, of course.
And never knew what Ben Davis apple
the only country. they grow the Ben Davis
in-Egypt Illinois.
we used up nn1e good dea aon vino
Hudson and out in western New York,
as if there hadn't been any, apples, any
amt in it with Egypt. No. sir. Why, that
got more than $4,000 acres of apple orchard
alone. and Wayne county has almost as
crowding Wayne's heels pretty close. Was
l set back when / went down into Egypt?
Was I? Well, it takes something to set a
man from old Stooben back, and Egypt
had it, I don't mind telling you that
was set back. Clear back
swelled up with the feeling that was from
the garden spot of all creation if there was
/ met on the way that they were so far from
old Stooben, and spose | showed it. When
~ the q ct i ana aa 10 who
Right smart turn of farmin' land,
yes. said, almost inclined to tell the
man I'd pay his fare if he'd go back with
me and take a look at some real country
farming arm s' land NOW, where live we bud bud
and blossom. We bloom. You don't have
any fruit out this way nou seem na to be only
the fruit fruity iii fares the land / said.
to Fastening ills a prey. where wealth ac-
the caper' / said. but it don't go now.
Fruit Fruit is what you want. and you
" Would apples come under that headin?
asked the man.
would the Sa said ansq W @u apples piles
only stand first under it, that's ALL APP
pies! Well l should say SO: There is no
low or streaky. what so luscious as APP
pies? What so fragrant as apples? What
get applejack from but apples? My friend
it'd be worth your while to go with me to
old pen ado into Egy see
some said the man. 'Thars q few down
there
what they called apples there found out
1 hadn't got far into Egypt before heaved
you right now that I'd never seen apples
before 1t was in October, and they were
gathering the crop ;t You n could 60 for miles
pies. And when they told me that they
didn't look on a man who owned ten-acre
orchard as any account in the business,
didn't say a word about that four-acre
orchard of mine back on the hills of old
Wen, say I said. how long has this
been going on?
TON Lowe planted the first orchard
about thirty years ago and when it came
in with its first crop, that measured up
three thousand bushels, and Tom cleared
pretty nearly $500 on it, everybody pitched
in for apples. and these four counties
is pretty much all apple orchard
why. a ten-acre orchard amt anything
out in Egypt, and some of EN- cover six
hundred acres! That apple belt beats all
creation and we folks in York State never
knew thing about it. Don't seem SO
strange as far the rest of the State
is concerned but it's amazing that old
Stooben want onto it. And there's where
i got acquainted with the Ben Davis apple
1t is big, and red. and solid and pretty as
a picture. But there's no more taste to it
than a door knob, no more flavor than a
chunk of clay, and more smell than a
piece of ice. And yet they raise more Ben
Davises than any other kind and they've
got as high 50 barrel for 'em.
Sounds funny to man who loves the
truth. doesn't it? Does. for a fact But
it's straight. I'll tell You why. The Ben
Davis amt an eater. It's a cooker. And
It's crop never fails. And the Ben Davis
never rots. Bruse any conventional apple,
and the rot takes hold Of all the rest Of
the apple. The Ben Davis doesn't put up
with any such nonsense. Rrulse 1t IL you
want to, but that bruise will simply dry
up. and that's the end of It.. The rest OF
the apple viii stay just as sornd as ever.
And the Ben Davis never freezes. Or IL