North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

Ales,
   I understand your approach regarding growing fruit trees from seed.   I 
have collected some trees that have grown well in our tough conditions here 
in Tennessee.  It makes me nervous to bring in scions from outside, in case 
of disease that could reduce the productivity of the trees I already have. 
Regional varieties have been very much neglected in the last 50 years or so, 
and I am sure many are already lost.  Just as Poland kept their old ways and 
old seeds till recently, so the poorer parts of the US have kept their local 
seeds and fruit varieties.  But things are changing quickly.
   Are you sure about prunus seeds not carrying sharka?  I have always 
heard that they could carry it.  And the story about the citrus seeds, they 
were from China where they have "Greening" a mycoplams disease.  I have 
heard that they have it now in Florida, so I guess someone else brought in 
citrus illegally.  Ales is right, it is very often the big companies that do 
these things, not just by bending the govt regulations to their benefit, but 
also illegally too.  Tristeza virus probably entered Florida on grapefruit 
trees illegally shipped from Texas.       Donna