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["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

	Twice in two days I have found what seem to be bud sports on two of my fruit trees.

While doing some summer pruning of a Cox's Orange Pippin, I found what seems to be a spur type shoot.  The buds are spaced more closely than on the other shoots, and they are almost whorled, with buds very close to opposite each other.  My question for apple afficianados, like Ed Facker, is "is there enough interest in a spur type Cox's Orange to bother saving the shoot?"  I already cut it partly back before realizing how odd it looked, but there is plenty left to reproduce it.

The other oddity came on a red leaf plum of my own discovery.  It has one shoot that is like a watersprout, but is much more vigorous and has larger leaves.  Instead of being solid red, like the rest of the tree, the leaves have bright green upper surfaces and red undersides.  I suppose I'll have to let it bear fruit to see if THAT is different, too, but I'm trying to decide if the odd appearance has any value.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.