From the new variety recommendation committee discussions at the American Pomological Society.
Ben Davis is added to the “Promising Well” of commercial apple varieties after a lengthy discussion.
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A similar discussion occurred over Limbertwig of which was most likely the Red variety. It did well in Virginia and North Carolina but faired poorly for storage as it got sponge like and dried out.
They grow Ben Davis at an orchard nearby to us; it’s in Paris, KY. We picked some up before, but I don’t remember much about them. I do know they’re a parent of Cortland (BD + McIntosh).
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Ben Davis is a grower friendly and attractive keeper apple but not much on flavor, sort of like the Red Delicious of its day. I think it makes a fine cider apple blended in a barrel w more flavored apples
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In 1916 some growers wanted to see if Ben Davis name could be changed. It had gotten such a bad reputation by some growers shipping poor quality fruit that it was bringing low prices sight unseen.
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