To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] big storm
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:36:50 -0500
Steve, While I was checking for cicada damage on a young pear tree I saw
the scars from a hailstorm several years ago. You'll probably have to watch
for fireblight next. I was looking at cicada damage the other day and
suddenly realized that it was Japanese beetle time and wondered why I ever
thought it was a good idea to plant fruit trees.
When I was a kid I was always wondering how they did things in "the old
days". My curiosity on this subject has gotten me into all kinds of weird
situations. One thing I do often think though, is how hard life must have
been. On the other hand... if everybody was hungry enough to kill all the
squirrels for food, people in town would be able to harvest their own
gardens again. And here in Tenn, people had totally wiped out the deer, and
coons and possums were hunted and trapped for fur. So maybe in ways humans
had LESS competition. And I also think there were more birds to eat all the
bugs. Hail and 17 year cicadas were still givens though. Donna