North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[aleš heuler <wama@seznam.cz>]

Dear friends, don’t worry about the seeds. They are still sleeping in freedom 
in the cellar over the ocean in Europe. It was just an idea for future. But 
if it is illegal we stay rather in theoretical level.
If we are asking who is carrying diseases to ours lands we should have a look 
to the big corporation importing fruits in to the supermarkets. You can find 
nice Hungarian and Romanian plums in North American markets. (south Europa is 
considered to be an origin of Plum pox).    One is realy surprised (after 
hearing hysteric messages about spreading new illnesses from abroad) to find 
nice Californian peaches in Germany ornamented with fresh peach leaves on the 
top of it!!!
By the way: Plum pox in Europe known as Sarka can not be carried by the seeds.
It is true that this disease destroyed about 80% of the nicest population 
Prunus Domestica. But instead of crying and be narky we should ask our self 
why it has happened? In last few centuries P.d. was almost entirely 
propagated by suckers. There is a big population of clone trees without any 
generative reproduction, which is the only possibility to change genetic 
properties with regard to growing conditions. So we don’t supposed to be 
wondering that once upon a time some weak beings are attack by diseases what 
is only the natural reaction of universe to get rid of the unable creatures.
That’s why we decided years ago to start to propagate fruit trees from seeds. 
We do use grafting and cuttings propagation of course. But more as middle 
step to have a wide scale of varieties for beginning with selecting seeds.
Ales