Lost Apples

General Fruit Growing
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I was amazed to discover that at one time there were 17,000 named varieties of apples in North America, but only about 4500 are still known. Having worked for the U.S. Forest Service in my younger years, I found evidence of homesteads that were established and subsequently abandoned by pioneer families. Some of these still had remnants of their orchards. As early pioneers moved across this continent, they brought with them their favorite grafted apples, knowing that seed grown apples were unlikely to produce good fruit.

There are a few individuals who are dedicated to finding those abandoned farms and resurrecting those lost cultivars. This is an account of two of them.

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we have many wild apples growing on old farmlands here. many were brought here from quebec by missionaries. the garfield king yellow transparent was one of them i have growing in my yard. many grown by fedco also come from this area. seems theres always a few old apple trees growing around a old ruined farmhouse here that probably has a story with how it got there. ive logged the whereabouts of dozens of them over the last 30yrs.

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Is this a topic you want to keep going? Or maybe start anew? I thought it was useful and interesting.