North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["loneroc" <loneroc@mwt.net>]

Jim,

I bought Ure, Nova and Beurre Gifard from Bear Creek.  The latter two showed
major trunk damage after -40 F/C though they're still hanging on and have
fruited (I got a half bushel from Nova last year, nice fruit.)  Ure took
nine years to throw a fruit or two and I found it to be of acceptable
quality.  Nonetheless I top-worked the Ure with Nova and Gifard, leaving a
couple branches of Ure (rhymes with 'pure' by the way).  Since Nova and
Gifard didn't show tip kill from the cold, only trunk/scaffold-branch crotch
damage, I figure that they should be hardy here on a super hardy framework.
As soon as the grafts fruit I'll take out the decrepit mother trees and have
more room for other pears.  You know how it is.

You might want to consider Golden Spice and Luscious for trial there in
Pequot. The Spice should grow for sure.

I have not planted 'Summercrisp' because I tasted Summercrisp/Asian pear
hybrids at the U of MN fruit breeding station when NAFEX met there a few
years back.  ALL the hybrids (those I tried anyway, there were several rows
of the trees)were better eating than Summercrisp.  I hope that they
introduce one soon.  None of the Asians are hardy here.

Steve H.  Lone Rock, WI  USDA zone 3 (or maybe 4)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>
To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 7:07 AM
Subject: [NAFEX] Zone 3a Pears


>     I bought Ure, Nova, John, Summer Crisp and Buerre Gifford from the
> former Bear Creek Nursery eleven years ago.  So far the Ure has given me
two
> fruits, two years ago.  Nova failed to harden off one Fall and promptly
> died.  John has been trying to die since I planted it.  Buerre Gifford's
> leaves gets some unknown fungus every year and last year, for its first
> time, did bloom a few flowers but produced no fruit.  Ditto for Summer
> Crisp; few flowers but no fruit.  I keep threatening to grub them out and
> plant something that WILL bear - eleven years is a long time to wait for

> production.
>
> Jim Fruth
> Brambleberry Farm
> Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
> www.bberryfarm.com
> (218)568-8483 [Store]
> (218)831-7018 [My Cell]
>
>
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