Happy Birthday Bramley's Seedling--200 years old in 2009 (Fruit Forum)
There's even a collection of features and events in honor of the occasion (even what they claim is the first "video pie-cast").
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Charlie is my Darwin
Over on ScienceBlogs, a fellow by the name of John Whitfield has taken on the task of "blogging" Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species:
Blogging the Origin (ScienceBlogs)
I don't especially want this site to become a debate of evolution, but regardless of your views on the subject, the Origin is still worthwhile reading, and of great relevance to the actual purpose of this site. It's a study of genetics before there really was much in the way of a field of genetics, and ultimately, it's a study of variation in living organisms--and variation is at the very core of fruit breeding. Darwin doesn't always get it his individual points right, but the man had an amazing eye for variation in nature.
(Darwin dealt more specifically with matters of domestication in a later work, and actually wrote an entire book on inbreeding, an important concept in plant breeding.)
I really like the idea of "blogging" books (Lady Evil Fruit absolutely loved Slate.com's Blogging the Bible) and I'd do it here except I'm too lazy and I don't have a particular book in mind...
Blogging the Origin (ScienceBlogs)
I don't especially want this site to become a debate of evolution, but regardless of your views on the subject, the Origin is still worthwhile reading, and of great relevance to the actual purpose of this site. It's a study of genetics before there really was much in the way of a field of genetics, and ultimately, it's a study of variation in living organisms--and variation is at the very core of fruit breeding. Darwin doesn't always get it his individual points right, but the man had an amazing eye for variation in nature.
(Darwin dealt more specifically with matters of domestication in a later work, and actually wrote an entire book on inbreeding, an important concept in plant breeding.)
I really like the idea of "blogging" books (Lady Evil Fruit absolutely loved Slate.com's Blogging the Bible) and I'd do it here except I'm too lazy and I don't have a particular book in mind...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
'Ohio Everbearing' black raspberry
When I first heard about the 'Explorer' primocane-fruiting black raspberry, I was convinced it was the first such variety. As it turned out, I was wrong, as numerous such cultivars existed by the turn of the century, although very few ever achieved any importance.
An exception to this, however, is the very first primocane-fruiting black raspberry, 'Ohio Everbearing'. Although not a major commercial success, this variety remains significant as one of the very first cultivated American selections of Rubus, and probably the first named black cap (given the abundance of wild black raspberries, it probably took an unusual trait such as fall-fruiting to warrant a name and cultivation).
'Ohio Everbearing' was discovered in the wild by Nicholas Longworth. Longworth was a self-made millionaire banker from Cincinnati, which in 1804 when he moved there was almost the western frontier. Although his family remained important in local and U.S. politics, and he left an estate worth $10 million when he died in 1863, Longworth's most lasting legacy is as a horticulturist. Often called "The Father of American Viticulture" (a title sometimes applied to his correspondent, John Adlum), Longworth was an avid collector and disseminator of fruit varieties. He championed first the 'Alexander' and then the 'Catawba' grapes and introduced at least one strawberry of his own creation.
Longworth found the original 'Ohio Everbearing' somewhere in central Ohio, where he had retreated in the fall of 1832 to escape cholera outbreaks in Cincinnati. Despite it being September or October, he "found a raspberry in full bearing, a native of our state, the only everbearing raspberry I have ever met with. I introduced it the same winter into my garden, and it is now cultivated by me in preference to all others, and my table is supplied from the beginning of June to frost." Although the variety struggled somewhat on the gravelly soils of his fields, it performed better on clay soils, and Longworth was convinced it might have a future, especially in England. He sent plants there, as did A.J. Downing, though it seems have had little impact there. The legendary Dr. Hogg did note its existence in England as late as 1884, when it was probably gone in the U.S. (Incidentally, in my hypothetical strawberry-themed band, my stage name was going to be "Dr. Hogg").
Longworth was among the foremost horticultural authorities of his day, and an everbearing variety of raspberry would seem to be a major development, so it seems like it should have caught on, but while he and a few others cultivated it commercially, it never seems to have. Black caps, in general, have never attained commercial prominence, perhaps because they were foreign to European tastes, and thus unable to compete with the more familiar red raspberries. Many other everbearers, such as 'Grigg's Daily Bearing', 'Miller's Daily Bearing', and 'Lum's Autumn Black' were selected from its seedlings. (Indeed, I rather suspect most, if not all, of those everbearing black raspberries that appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century may claim it as an ancestor. Most of these seem to originate in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, or Illinois, the areas nearest the discovery and commercialization of Longworth's variety).
An exception to this, however, is the very first primocane-fruiting black raspberry, 'Ohio Everbearing'. Although not a major commercial success, this variety remains significant as one of the very first cultivated American selections of Rubus, and probably the first named black cap (given the abundance of wild black raspberries, it probably took an unusual trait such as fall-fruiting to warrant a name and cultivation).
'Ohio Everbearing' was discovered in the wild by Nicholas Longworth. Longworth was a self-made millionaire banker from Cincinnati, which in 1804 when he moved there was almost the western frontier. Although his family remained important in local and U.S. politics, and he left an estate worth $10 million when he died in 1863, Longworth's most lasting legacy is as a horticulturist. Often called "The Father of American Viticulture" (a title sometimes applied to his correspondent, John Adlum), Longworth was an avid collector and disseminator of fruit varieties. He championed first the 'Alexander' and then the 'Catawba' grapes and introduced at least one strawberry of his own creation.
Everbearing Black Caps listed in Fred Card's Bush Fruits (1920) American Everbearing Cottier Everbearing [Grigg's] Daily Bearing Earhart Everlasting Every Day Fadely General Negley Hixon's Everbearer Kagy Everbearing King of Cliff's Lum's Autumn Black Raspberry Lum's Yellow Canada Miller's Daily Bearing Munson's Everbearing Mystery Ransom's Everbearing Sweet Home Wonder |
Longworth was among the foremost horticultural authorities of his day, and an everbearing variety of raspberry would seem to be a major development, so it seems like it should have caught on, but while he and a few others cultivated it commercially, it never seems to have. Black caps, in general, have never attained commercial prominence, perhaps because they were foreign to European tastes, and thus unable to compete with the more familiar red raspberries. Many other everbearers, such as 'Grigg's Daily Bearing', 'Miller's Daily Bearing', and 'Lum's Autumn Black' were selected from its seedlings. (Indeed, I rather suspect most, if not all, of those everbearing black raspberries that appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century may claim it as an ancestor. Most of these seem to originate in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, or Illinois, the areas nearest the discovery and commercialization of Longworth's variety).
Kid's version of the Endicott pear story...
Not real fancy, but still kind of nice. I can appreciate any attempt to get kids interested in horticulture. It held my two-year-old's attention for nearly a minute, which is about 45 seconds longer than almost anything else I've tried this afternoon.
A Tree Grows in Danvers (USDA-ARS)
A Tree Grows in Danvers (USDA-ARS)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Journal of Genetics
I just discovered that just about every article ever in the Journal of Genetics is available online! (I say "just about", because they appear to have missed a couple). The Journal of Genetics was the site of some of the great early articles in fruit genetics, and by virtue of being so darn old, people rarely seem to have copies of them floating around, so the fact that they are now just a click away is pretty darn cool.
I was also interested to note that the Journal of Genetics followed editor J.B.S. Haldane (yes, that Haldane) to India when he moved there in 1957--so the journal is currently published by the Indian Academy of Sciences.
Anyway, as an example of the goodies lurking in depths of the Journal of Genetics, I present one of my favorite series of papers, by C.W. Richardson. They're favorites for two reasons. First, they were some of the first attempts at serious genetics in strawberries, a crop that is near and dear to my heart. But second, and frankly more importantly, they have some of the least informative titles ever. I always hate when I have to cite them, because I always have to actually pull out the papers and look through them, because its impossible to remember which facts go with which...
A Preliminary Note on the Genetics of Fragaria (1914)
A Further Note on the Genetics of Fragaria (1918)
Some Notes on Fragaria (1920)
Notes on Fragaria (1923)*
* This last one, unfortunately, is one of the ones they seem to have missed scanning--there's a link, but no PDF.
Update: A friend of mine found the missing paper! It's been accidentally included at the end of the previous article! (Just scroll down...)
I was also interested to note that the Journal of Genetics followed editor J.B.S. Haldane (yes, that Haldane) to India when he moved there in 1957--so the journal is currently published by the Indian Academy of Sciences.
Anyway, as an example of the goodies lurking in depths of the Journal of Genetics, I present one of my favorite series of papers, by C.W. Richardson. They're favorites for two reasons. First, they were some of the first attempts at serious genetics in strawberries, a crop that is near and dear to my heart. But second, and frankly more importantly, they have some of the least informative titles ever. I always hate when I have to cite them, because I always have to actually pull out the papers and look through them, because its impossible to remember which facts go with which...
A Preliminary Note on the Genetics of Fragaria (1914)
A Further Note on the Genetics of Fragaria (1918)
Some Notes on Fragaria (1920)
Notes on Fragaria (1923)*
* This last one, unfortunately, is one of the ones they seem to have missed scanning--there's a link, but no PDF.
Update: A friend of mine found the missing paper! It's been accidentally included at the end of the previous article! (Just scroll down...)
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