North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[edforest55@hotmail.com]

I have had several topworking experiments going on, surprisingly 
similar to those that Bernie has going.
I ditto his conclusions about apple. However I am more optimistic 
about plums, my Mt Royals on Prunus maritima have growing splendidly 
for three years now, but there hasn't been a winter colder than -33 I 
believe in that time. Hopefully this winter will be cold enough for 
some conclusions.
I have heard that grafting Evans P pensylvanica has not been a 
lasting graft either. Evans is a weird one, its seeds are not hardy 
like its parent, and grafts onto plums have totally even grafted low.
(What had you grafted your Evans to Bernie?) There aren't too many 
prunus hardier than Evans anyway. 
One thing I wonder if you've tried Bernie, is grafting more tender 
Jap/Am plums onto P. americana. Here there wouldn't be a 
compatability problem and perhaps there will be an increase in 
hardiness. I've got some Superiors topworked to P.americana but only 
two years old. 
I am convinced from an old Pomona article, that Peach grafted onto 
Americana increases its hardiness, (Pomona article several years 
back, fella up in Alaska, not C Lammers)
There seems to be two explanations for this topworking phenomenon, 
one is that the hardy framework 'imparts' hardiness to the scion. The 
other is that the lower trunk and crotches are the more tender areas. 
I've gobbled up any info I can on this, and have found some old stuff 
in the library, this has been done for over a hundred years with 
Pecans (or was it hickories?). I haven't found much written on it. If 
there is material anywhere I would guess it to come from Canada, 
they've been doing it there for decades. Any leads on such work would 
greatly interest me. 
I have some ideas of my own as to why topworking works, if anyone 
knows a research person who lacks a project let me know, (I'm not 
formally schooled in Horticulture or Botany as you may have guessed)I 
I think it would make a very interesting paper though.
On that same track, the U of MN has had an ongoing study 
on "highgrafting" that is grafting high (beyond the base of the tree 
where, one of the reported more tender spots) but not topworking to 
see if this would increase hardiness. So far they have reached no 
conlusions, so I have started some of my own experiments on this but 
am also waiting for a test winter. I believe that it will have some 
effect, based on the Pecan info which I found in an ancient book at 
the library.
Have you any thoughts on this high grafting Bernie? Or anyone?
Thanks much
Kevin
PS, sure is nice to take a break from the copyright issue for awhile.




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