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  • From: "kieran or donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>
  • To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Tips?
  • Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:46:29 -0600

I tracked down a retired ag prof from the local college, and though I didn't
find any new trees, I did learn something about cherries. He told me that
everyone had sweet cherries on their farm, the seedlings grew in the
fencerows and the farm kids were sent out to pick for their moms every year.
But some kind of disease came in and the trees all died. He was very
surprised to hear that I had sprouts from 2 local sweet cherries and
seedlings from others. He was surprised to hear that any sweet cherry trees
were still alive and bearing, and that mine hadn't keeled over in the 10
years I've had them. Mine haven't cropped yet, freezes keep getting the
blooms where they are. (Don't let people tell you that north facing slopes
are the place to grow fruit trees. They are the place to get freezing
drying winds. It aggravates me no end that someone I know told me that he
hasn't lost a crop of stone fruit to late freezes in 10 years. He's on top
of a ridge too, but something is protecting his trees. I need to look him
up on the topo map and see what his secret is.)
Another fun place to meet people is your local farmer's market. It's a
good place to meet not just old folks who know about old trees, but also
people in their 40's and 50's, and even younger, who care about plants and
their local heritage. Via our farmer's market I learned from a 35 year old
about a guy 18 miles away who was taught to graft by his grandfather.
Dempsey is on his last legs now, but he's told me some of the trees in his
orchard, and someone else knows about them too. There are only maybe a
couple of unique trees, one is a heavy cropping, crummy tasting little apple
that's been here 150 years or so, that I'll bet was for cider. His
orchard's a good place to see what does well here, as it's not been properly
taken care of for years, but the Ben Davis's sure crop well anyway. And
they really do keep unbelievably well, but never have any flavor at any
point. Donna





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