Lost Apple Searching and a question for the brain trust

[BrambleberryMeadow]

Thanks! Interestingly, here is Newby. This specimen is reportedly from South Haven, MI - a stone’s throw from the farm I’m investigating.

https://usdawatercolors.nal.usda.gov/download/POM00001804/screen

[DaveB]

Hi Brambleberry. You mention the 4 apples in your first message won prizes at the county fair. Were you able to discern how the prizes were awarded? A local county fair here in eastern Washington awarded first and second prizes for EVERY APPLE VARIETY entered in the fair. The local newspaper reported the results and by reviewing newspapers between 1900 and 1910 I was able to come up with around 100 apples documented as growing in the county. The fair was held in late October each year but not all the apples entered were winter apples. While no Yellow Transparents were ever entered, some summer apples did get entered. Red June was entered in the fair and it probably was not an apple you wanted to eat in late October. The apples were apparently judged on appearance only and that is why all varieties received a prize. Knowing a little about the culture of the time, the county fair was an opportunity to meet up with friends and show off a little by having huge carrots and beautiful apples. Congrats on the excellent work you are doing! Dave B.

[BrambleberryMeadow]

Thank you for taking the time to reply, Dave, I appreciate it.

Rev. Taylor is described as having one a premium for a display that included the 4 varieties listed. Reading through some of the Michigan Pomological Society proceedings suggest that it was common to have (in addition to having individual variety classes) displays of multiple varieties. There even seems to have been a little bit of a … difference in opinion, shall we say? between the plain apple enthusiasts who’d enter displays of large numbers of different varieties (one gentleman managed 100), and the more commercial folks who insisted that a good orchardist should focus on just a few varieties.

As something of a side note, I also found a flyer he published advertising 50,000 peach trees for sale. I strongly suspect that he was merely brokering those seedlings, using the local railroad. 160 acres seems wildly insufficient for that many trees!

[BarbR]

Have you ever heard of the North American Fruit Explorers? That is an organization filled with people who identify and investigate fruit! It is called NAFEX. They also put out a printed/electronic magazine called Pomona. There is a NAFEX site on Facebook that is non-member and open - anyone can post. There is a Yahoo forum called NAFEX (almost the same as NAFEX, but not the org). All 3 of those can provide identification help.

[BlueBerry]

I joined 2018 for two years. Got absolutely nothing in the mail from them, couldn’t set up to attach my website to them, and couldn’t read Pomona online. Got an email to pay a fee and reserve motel if I wanted to attend the annual meeting in Indiana.
Can’t say as I got any value for my money. Did make email contact to Jerry Lehman…then he soon died. Already was connected to two other of the members for some time.
So, I didn’t renew in 2020…and nobody inquired as to why I didn’t.