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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] trials, serviceberry and pear

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  • From: "Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>
  • To: <chex.rice@gmail.com>, "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] trials, serviceberry and pear
  • Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2007 10:13:12 -0500

Chex, I was intrigued to see just how many species there are of
Amelanchiar, and some differences in flavor. It would be nice to compare
flavor and production of various cultivars, but for many of us disease
resistance is the #1 limiting factor. Also, I have to wonder about soils,
mineral requirements, etc. My juneberries wouldn't grow till I added boron,
which was the limiting factor in apple trees here too.
What we probably need is someone growing all the selections and cultivars together for comparison, combined with reports from others who are growing them under different conditions. For example: I really have enjoyed watching Chris Inhulsen's huge trial of southern pear varieties in Montezuma GA, and hearing his acerbic comments regarding many of the cultivars. He's saved me LOTS of trouble by trialing what turned out to be inferior varieties, and what he recommends as good, I can figure really is good. (He really wanted me to try Bierschmidtt and 'Hartman's Special', but there are some others he thinks are worth having. I myself am crazy about '20th Century' though it is not precocious and gets a fair bit of blight.) Lucky was sent scions of Spaulding, and as he sent me his leftovers, I now have a small tree of Spaulding. The ONLY reference I can find to Spaulding is Raintree Nursery, but I don't really trust nursery hype. Chris has informed me that Spaulding is "tasteless and yucky". Lucky tells me that 'Korean Giant' is tasteless and huge, but Ted Danieki says it's good. So I'm going to save room and hedge my bets not by throwing Spaulding away, but by planting it and Bierschmidtt close together. If I like both, I'll leave both to intertwine. If I dislike Spaulding, I can whack it (and probably regraft it).
Donna





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