North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/2/2004 4:09:48 AM US Eastern Standard Time, efackler@woh.rr.com writes:

>    In a lecture at the Virginia NAFEX meeting some few years back, Elwood
> finally got enough courage to state flatly that many, if not most so-called
> "heirloom" varieties should have become extinct years ago due to mediocrity.


That is why many have been lost. Growers experience showed they weren't worthy of retention let alone propagation, and didn't! 

Example, Gravenstein. Wonderful apple. Had a tree for about 10 years thanks to Ed Fackler. Every insect in Indiana loved it. Every disease and fungus found it to be a wonderful host. Unless I kept it covered 100% of the time with poisons no eatable apples remained in the fall. Edibility was questionable after being coated with poisons all summer. The chain saw ate it. 

Jerry