North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jason MacArthur <rotread@localnet.com>]

Sam- You ask about apple tree size.  My feeling is this: plant the 
smallest tree which works for your situation.  You need something which 
can grow above the sheep- surely a semi-dwarf(even an M26) could be 
trained to do this.  Are you willing/financially able to stake a tree 
for the first years of it's life?  Many smaller trees require a little 
help staying up, at least for a few years.   But, spraying and pruning 
bigger trees is a lot harder, it takes more time, it's more difficult 
to get sunlight and air in to your fruit(important since you intend to 
be marketing dessert fruit), and the time until you start to pay back 
your investment(and start being able to learn the intricacies of 
growing fruit as opposed to trees) is much greater.  When I first began 
to wonder about tree size I asked an orchardist neighbor of mine, who 
has done everything from restore old standard orchards to plant 600 
tree per acre dwarf plantings, what size tree he recommended.  He 
thought for a moment and asked, "Well, are you a farmer or a hippie?"
	I cannot recommend enough seeking out local orchardists and talking to 
them about rootstocks which work in your area.  They will know the 
answers to your cold hardiness questions.  Good luck!

Jason MacArthur
Marlboro, Vt.
Zone 4b