North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[mark wessel <growyourown@earthlink.net>]

   This is perfect timeing. I have been wanting to post a blurb about a book
I have recently read.THE GREAT AMERICAN APPLE WIZARD The life and times of
Peter M. Gideon. 
  Mr.Gideon did this very thing. He planted thousands of seeds for many
years until one survived the harsh Minnisota winters. The Wealthy apple is
what he named it. Supposedly the first apple to break the hardiness barrier.
  The author,James R. Curran, was at the Midwest Apple Improvement
Associations annual meeting promoting the book. Its very much worth a read.
It is much more than a book about developing a hardy apple. It gives you a
glimpes into the life of folks in the relatively new territory in the late
1800s. The Wealthy was introduce in 1868.
  The research Mr. Curran put into this is just incredible.
   

Mark