North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/2/2010 1:38:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, landaus@gmail.com writes:

> I know this is non-scientifc, but I was sitting in a service last weekend being bored.  There was a well indexed bible and looked up passages on fruit, agriculture, etc.   Is there any scientific backing to this passage?
>
> "When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.b Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you"    Leviticus 19:23
>
> Any reason to leave the fruit on the ground for the first few years
?

This should be an interesting discussion. Ed Fackler should be able address this with expertise from two points of view. 

Back then when moving from one land to another about the most often used method to transport trees was in seed form. A great many species of fruit trees fruiting from seed the first year or two produce fruit not normal to what it bears when it is mature. I can vouch for this with persimmon.  And I have other heard others say the same thing about other fruit bearing tree species. So the first three years they may have considered it an edible.  The fourth-year it would be a gift unto the Lord and I would imagine the high priests ate it, certainly could have. And in the fifth year of fruiting the fruit characteristics should stabilize and the grower was now free to eat it. 

Even after that fourth-year if one considers tithing one apple in ten should be given unto the Lord. 

Jerry