North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Richard Moyer <ramoyer@gmail.com>]

Donna and Lucky,
We just grafted 30 Bradford pear seedlings at our new place.  Most of
them as Korean Giant, because it is our best performer, being highly
resistant to blight, cropping regularly and heavily, and being our
favorite for flavor and keeping ability.  I recall us noting
differences in performance in the past, simllar to your comments
below.

I purchased mine from Ed Fackler in '92 or '93.  Curious where you and
Donna got your material.  This cultivar goes by a number of names:
Olympic, Arrirang sp? (its Korean name), and Starking _____ing
_______ing.  So I'm curious where you got yours, and also about how
this tree has done for others in the upper south and beyond.

Korean Giant is the best for us, our most resistant pear to blight.
I'd be surprised if we are using the same material.  Glad to share
grafting wood next year for comparison.

Richard
Out to check my grafts.

From: "Dr. Lucky Pittman" <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Fire blight in Tenn

Donna,

I've not noticed any FB in my orchard, but I've been too busy to actually
get out there in the last week or three.  It'd have to be pretty bad for me
to notice it from the house or driveway.

I know there are folks who sing the praises of Korean Giant, but for me, it
was a dog.  Rarely set more than two or three fruits, and they would be big
beautiful juicy things with no flavor,  kinda like eating a big watery raw
potato.

I didn't shed many tears over it when I lost the constant battle against
fireblight with it.

Lucky

[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Kieran and/or Donna
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Fire blight in Tenn

I've got fire blight down here.  Not exactly sure why, it seems to have
gotten started during a dry spell, and the weather was quite dry while the
trees were blooming.  One thing is for sure, Korean Giant pear is NOT
resistant to fire blight.  Lucky in Hopkinsville KY and someone in
Chattanooga have both told me that theirs died to the ground from blight.
Mine bloomed nicely this year, but most of the fruit spurs have blighted.
I've been pulling them off and cutting off branches, I'd like a real crop
before it dies.  It's grafted about 3 ft high and there's a branch I've
already grafted something else to.

   A number of my apples have the blight too.  I really thought I'd have a
crop this year.  Now I wonder what my trees will look like when it's done.
Donna