To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Mulberry
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:53:14 -0500
At 09:03 AM 7/15/2004 -0700, you wrote:
I havent heard anything about this "Packy" and
Stearns. Could you share some more details?
Rob,
Packy is a mulberry that, if I recall correctly - and Gordon can correct if
I'm wrong - Gordon received or purchased as 'Pakistan', but it
wasn't; fruited for me for the first time last year, and I wasn't all that
impressed with the fruit flavor, but this year it was very good - berries
not as long as Illinois, but more plump, and with a good sweet/tart balance.
Stearns, I got from a fellow nut/fruit enthusiast in NJ - it is, I presume,
a M.albaXrubra hybrid, like Illinois Everbearing. Berries are similar to
IE in size and flavor. Other than that I don't know or recall anything
more about it.
I meant to comment on Wellington(or at least the tree was purchased as
Wellington). Not a keeper for me. It's been in the ground for at least 6
or 7 years, has a very trashy, unkempt growth habit - I can't make it be a
single-trunked tree. Experiences lots of winter dieback every year, and
produced just a few small, dry, not-so-flavorful berries this
year. Something else will be growing in its spot pretty soon.