North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

I've got a nursery story too.  I worked for a few months at a nursery that 
was considered a cut above the rest, or at least they considered themselves 
that way.  They didn't pay well or treat their employees well though.  They 
had a Fertilome salesman who came through once a week I think it was, and 
he'd answer questions for staff and customers.  One day a guy came in with a 
"weed" he wanted to get rid of.  The "expert" took one look and said 
"oxalis".  I said "black medic".  The expert glared at me and said, Oxalis! 
and I said, no, it's black medic.  We went through this a third time and I 
suddenly realized that it wasn't working and I'd better just remove myself 
and talk to him later.  I went and pulled some oxalis to educate the guy. 
So when the customer was gone I started to apologize but he started in 
yelling at me about what an ignorant pipsqueak I was, what a mighty expert 
he was, and how much I'd embarrassed him.  I tried to explain how to tell 
the two plants apart, but he wasn't done raving.  I said I'd eaten oxalis 
all my life, and played in black medic when I was a little kid.  I said just 
taste this, oxalis is named for the oxalic acid that makes it tart.  He 
wasn't about to listen.  I think he hated me for the rest of the time I 
worked there.  I don't know if some inkling that he might be wrong was 
involved, I think he remained convinced that he was right.  Anyone who can't 
identify oxalis... or for that matter, anyone who can't tell a legume from a 
non-legume...    I'm happy to say that when my dad wanted to buy some more 
citrus trees that I called two nurseries.  Lukas nursery couldn't tell me 
what rootstocks their trees were on, Rockledge could.  I suggested we go to 
Lukas nursery first, where we found the citrus trees looked awful, and 
though the prices were higher at Rockledge, the trees were spectacular and 
the service superb.  I will say during the 4 months I worked at Lukas, I was 
their fruit expert, and loved to talk to those customers.  When someone came 
around wanting not just ornamentals, but wanting to use their plants like 
furniture, I sent them to some other staffer.  I really didn't know a thing 
about ornamentals back then, and even today am not too swift on them.
   My theory is that it's the pesticide exposure that makes ag grads 
retarded.  Or maybe it's the constraints of the education.  All I know is 
that most of them come out of school as proud of their exclusive knowledge 
as med students do, and yet know as little about plants as drs know about 
the basic workings of the human body.  Anyone who wants to know more about 
the latter subject would enjoy some articles by an Australian dr about 
minerals and how they work in the body.  They are quite funny and he makes 
fun of the medical profession in the process.  Sorry I can't just send 
links, they don't seem to be on the Net anymore.   Just ask, it may take me 
a few days to respond, but I do like to share them.     Donna