North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Richard MURPHY" <murphman108@msn.com>]

First, a huge THANK YOU to all who sent in comments / experiences with various apple varieties a.k.a. the apple poll. I am overwhelmed. There's a bunch of good models to chose from, each having it's own best features. Maybe the Great Maine Apple Day in Unity will have another round of taste testing. That's fun. Watching people's faces is fun, too; good or bad reactions to various fruit.

 

Speaking of Maine, my pal Francis Fenton is still alive at 92 (3?) and out selling fruit last Saturday. He keeps on saying he'll come over and look at my orchard; said that for 2 years, then he and his daughter actually did come over last Sunday afternoon. I walked with Mr. Fenton up and down the rows of my orchard, and he was looking around all over the place. I gave him a hidden rose, an opalescent, and he identified a rogue apple (that Miller's snuck into a batch of 20 oz.) as a Rhode Island Greening. I was happy to have the old guy come to my house and browse around. After all, I've browsed his farm enough.

 

My boys and I put mouse guards on 200 trees, and staked up 40. By staking, I mean with 3 stakes and lines, not grade stakes. I have had horrible luck with the 1 1/2 x 1 1/2" PT sticks from Home Depot. If you get a know in the post, it will break there. I lost a Pristine tree due to that. Whe trees getto be 10' tall I switch over to the 3 stake method. I buy DeWitts Stake Straight kits. The best price I got was at Gemplers; $5.45 per kit (tree). These are re-usable, and do an excellent job. The stakes are wicked strong plastic, and I can't yank one out after I hammer it in.

 

I ate a Wagener apple. Yawn. Close your eyes, it's a Mac.

 

Thanks again, friends.

 

 

Murph