North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

I didn't have much computer access this spring, and I shamefully admit that 
for a couple months I deleted all NAFEXlist postings.  Now I've had time to 
skim the Archives, and saw a couple strings I might have contributed to.

One, someone was asking about planting currants in a horse pasture, because 
his horses avoided them on one occasion.  I've seen that deer don't eat any 
Ribes here (s.WI) except jostaberry, which they prune hard.  Also, did 
anyone mention that his horses might avoid currants for part of the grazing 
season, but might enjoy them at other times?

Two, someone asked about using native grasses or forbs as orchard 
groundcovers.  YES!  Years ago apple trees were planted into open areas 
(postage-stamp prairie remnants & savanna oak-openings) because the site 
was, well, open.  The groundlayer often wasn't tilled nor herbicided.  Part 
of orchard management was a mowing or two per year-- beneficial to prairie & 
savanna groundlayer, especially for disuading brush growth & for competing 
w/  exotic weeds.  Another part of mngt was annual burning, to get rid of 
the fallen leaves and the pests they harbor, especially apple scab.  I 
recommend visiting commercial orchards and calculating the sun reaching the 
ground and comparing those numbers w/ what's required by savanna species.

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