North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[dwoodard@becon.org]

Claude, have you tried Westcot and Morden 604? They were both bred at 
the Agriculture Canada station at Morden, Manitoba in Agriculture 
Canada zone 3b and have been reported successful by several people in 
cold areas of Eastern Canada. They have Prunus armeniaca ancestry (or 
mostly) and are not unusually prone to dormancy problems. Trees are 
avilable from nurseries on the prairies and from Ken Taylor's 
Windmill Point Orchard & Nursery at Notre Dame Ile Perrot by Montreal.

The parentage of Morden 604 is listed by the second edition of Brooks 
and Olmo (1970) as "Scout x McClure," selected 1945. I believe 
McClure is an armeniaca. The same book listed Scout as having 
originated at Morden from "seed of Prunus armeniaca sent by the 
Experiment Station of the Eastern Siberian Railway, Echo, Manchuria, 
[doubtless from Mr. Woykoff] P.I. 132840; planted in 1930."

I understand that Scout has tended to have dormancy problems in the 
East which makes me suspect that it may have some P. mandshurica 
ancestry.

Ken also sells an armeniaca apricot which he calls "Precious" found 
by him at Creemore south of Georgian Bay in zone 5a or 4b. It has 
been hardy with him in his exposed location near Montreal. He reports 
it to have exceptional ability to crop after frosty springs. 
Apparently it and some other old trees at Creemore have been there 
for a very long time. I suspect they may descend from seedlings of 
Russian apricots distributed as subscription premiums by the Fruit 
Growers' Association around 1900.

Robert Purvis of NAFEX told me that he had tested Precious and that 
the quality was not high with him, but that it did seem to have 
unusual ability to crop in less favourable seasons. He also said that 
the USDA at Prosser had acquired Precious and found a virus in it 
which they had cleared or were (a few years ago) in the processs of 
clearing, but I have no idea whether the virus would have been 
present in Ken's material or was acquired along the indirect path 
between Ken and Prosser.

I understand that one of the Manchurian apricots sold by Lakeshore 
Tree Farms at Saskatoon has been successful with some in the East. 
I'm not sure which one, perhaps "Prairie Dawn". Ken Taylor could 
probably tell you; I believe he sells it. 

Douglas Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario

--- In nafex@egroups.com, Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@g...> wrote:
> Richard,
> Could you tell us what is your hardiness zone in Maine? I have 
tried many
> times to introduce apricots in my zone 4 climate - without success -
 and
> some parts of Maine have a climate fairly similar to here. I am 
wondering
> if Puget Gold could be a variety to try.
> 
> Thanks,
> Claude, in Quebec


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