The Green Forest tribune., 1902-12-27
AGAINST THE BEN DAVIS.
Authorities Claim Too Many
 of These Apples Are Planted.

A QuoSlIOIl Ol tile very greatest importance to every one who plants an apple orchard is the selection of varieties.
 In view of the fact that many of our people have the planting ot orchards in contemplation, THE TRIBUNE gives space to the fol- lowing communication of P. M. kieley of St. Louis, Mo-, pub- lished in the Practical Fruit Grower of last week.
 Editor The P. F. G.: The pub lication in your journal few weeks ago of my letter on the Ben Davis apple has brought to the front a number of defenders of old Ben. Strangely enough the parties coming to the rescue of this declining apple are those having large Ben Davis orchards many of them planted veens ago when this variety had more claims to recognition than it has now or ever will have again. It's natural for a man to set high valuation on his property, and of course such people trown at any state- ment that reflects on their judg- ment or orchards. An apple dealer in Kansas City, who is loaded to the guards with Ben Davis, makes a hard fight for it in a communication to several trade journals patronized by deal- CTS. The gentleman declares he has letters from many states call ing for Ben Davis, but he neg lected to add that it was useless for them to ask for any other va riety and that they were looking for the low figures likely to arise where the Ben Davis were so plenty and all other varieties so exceedingly scarce.
 At the late meeting in this city of the National Apple Growers Association 1 met large number of men whose orchards unfortu- nately were composed largely of Ben Davis. Many of them ad- mitted to me that if they were planting again they would raise more varieties that would be ac- ceptable in every market and worthy of the patronage of all- something that would command good prices regardless of how low Ben Davis figures were. Other growers thought l wanted them to root out all their Ben Davis or chards-an idea l never enter tained. A number of these gen. tlemen submitted what they re- garded a knock out argument i'll. What will you give us instead what will take it's placer" Now thereis no necessity for seeking or presenting any one variety, but, as l stated in my former ar ticle, several and not one variety should take it's place. w. T. Flournoy, of Marionville, Mo-, one of the most successful fruit growers in the state and who owned too many Ben Davis trees to condemn them, acknowledged that the article would do much good, as it would set the people to thinking and would doubtless change many existing ideas and was especially valuable to those contemplating setting out new orchards. In fact, nearly all ad- mitted there was enough already planted and it was time to call a halt on the Ben Davis, because if another tree was not planted in the next 20 years the Western markets will remain deluged with it during all that time, because hundreds-I might say thousands of orchards are composed main- ly of young Ben Davis trees.
 An eminent authority in New York City, who stands on the ground as impartial as the writer does, writes me in a private letter: "Personally, I feel. sure that the Ben Davis apple has done more to demoralize and degrade the apple trade in this city than any other one thing. I believe it is possible to work up an enormous trade in all our larger towns and cities for apples of high quality and good flavor" The past sew eral years steadily developed the