North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jimfruth@charter.net>]

Larry Cook from Indiana wrote, "I have read that it takes a planting of 
several hundred seedlings and then you may not get fruit 
quality............"

   Could you have been reading about my work?  If we don't try something, 
how do we learn?  Most plant breeders take the easy path and develop fruits 
for their zone ending up with yet another variety that isn't available to 
colder climate growers.  'Where is the economics of that?  Too little has 
been written about developing fruits for colder climates; it might take some 
original thinking; it is just EASIER to not do it.
   When I developed my black raspberry, the only goal I had in mind was 
making it more cold hardy, much to the dismay of some who buy it suspecting 
that perhaps I also may have developed huge fruits.  Sorry, but that is 
still in the offing.  I haven't stopped working on hardiness.  I've been 
playing with the genetics of my plants and have been noticing that some 
plants do produce larger than normal berries but I'm working on developing a 
black raspberry that will thrive in Fairbanks, Alaska.  When (if?) I do 
that, then I concentrate on getting larger fruits.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
For jams, jellies, syrups and more:
www.jellygal.com
1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
1-218-831-7018 (My Cell)