North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

While on the subject of stone fruits and Lucky giving up in disgust on most 
of them... I think I have identified the Japanese cross plum that a bunch of 
little old ladies had in Loudon TN in the 80's.  One LOL told me that they'd 
bought their 3 trees from a couple guys with a pickup that came around the 
neighborhood selling them.  They must have been on their own roots because 
her husband moved 2 sprouts to make a total of 5 trees.  They bloomed too 
early, so that they only cropped well every 2 or 3 years.  Being so early, 
they tended to be further along when the curculio arrived.  I know their 
fruit often had curculio scars, but seldom had live larva.  The thinning 
caused by most of the blossoms being frosted seemed to keep down the brown 
rot.  And most important of all, and most significant from my viewpoint, is 
that they were totally black knot resistant.  The 5 trees belonging to the 
grouchy old lady were literally falling apart and were infested with 
mushrooms eating the dead parts of the trees (not Armillaria) at 50 years 
old when I last saw them, but not a speck of BK was to be seen.  I now think 
they were Ozark Premier, which was released about the right time and was 
noted for being BK resistant.  It is the parent of some newer AU releases. 
I ordered a tree just to find out, so give me a few years to grow it, then a 
few more for the late frosts to wipe out my crops, and one lucky year I'll 
find out if it makes the fruit I remember.    Donna