December 2003

November Meeting Notes

Twelve RCC members and six nonmembers attended the November meeting. Jason Kilgore presented a proposal to inventory invasive plant species at Fenner Nature Center, Mary Leys announced an upcoming meeting of Wild Ones, and nominations for RCC officers for the Jan 2004 to Dec 2005 term were concluded (see enclosed ballot). We still need someone to volunteer for the Secretary position! RCC member Roy Wesselman wrote the following report from the evening presentation:

Dr. Frank Dennis, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture (MSU), gave a most interesting and delicious program on Michigan Heritage Apples. He defined Heritage Apples as apples that are not grown commercially anymore. Other than some crab apple varieties, apples were all introduced in the Americas from Europe. The Lady Apple was introduced in New England in 1628, the Baldwin in 1740, and the Ben Davis around 1780. Some early varieties of apples still produced commercially are the McIntosh (1811), the L.H. Bailey (1893), and the S.A. Beach (1905). In the 1800s, apple growers were looking for new varieties that would reproduce themselves. By the 1900s, there were over 1000 varieties listed in various sources. 6000 growers brought apples to a show in Chicago.

At MSU, Bailey introduced the word "cultivar" for any variety that reproduces itself. Apple cultivars were distinguished from each other on the basis of size, shape, stripes, blush, and color. Since Michigan’s climate favors apple production, many kinds of apples have been grown here. The lake effect helps keep apple trees from blossoming too early and prolongs the season without freezes into September and October. A number of early pioneers brought apple seeds with them when they came to Michigan. Johnny Appleseed probably never operated in Michigan, instead spending most of his time in the Ohio River Valley. However, a cultivar from trees he introduced can be found in the Beal Botanical Garden.

In the early 1900s, the New England Growers Association decided that it didn't make commercial sense to try to put so many different varieties on the market. They agreed to reduce the number of commercial apple cultivars to six. The effect of this decision was a greatly reduced number of apples produced commercially. However, Dr. Dennis indicated that many of the old apple cultivars are still growing in Michigan. He demonstrated this by filling two lab tables with plates loaded with more than twenty varieties of apples he had harvested mostly from the MSU Horticulture Orchards. Many people grow Heritage Apples as a hobby. A number of books are available for those who are interested; another good source is the internet.

The apples brought by Dr. Dennis for us to sample were a good cross-section of apple characteristics. They ranged in size from the tiny Lady Apples to the grapefruit-sized Twenty Ounce Apple. They were sweet and tart, mealy and crunchy, and ranged in color from almost yellow with red stripes to such a deep dark red they almost approached being a dark purple. We were all invited to take samples home with us. The following cultivars were enjoyed by all: Arkansas Black, Asian Pears, Baldwin, Ben Davis, Black Gillflower, Chenango, Deacon Jones, Golden Russet, Gravenstein, Lady, Northern Spy, Paragon, Pumpkin (Pound), Red Canada, Rhode Island Greening, Snow, Spencer Seedless, Tompkin Co. King, Twenty Ounce, Wolf River, Wealthy, and Yellow Bell Flower. Needless to say, having all of these cultivars to see and taste made the program a very special treat.

Red Cedar Chapter News December 2003