Rare Fruit Council Activities 1959-60
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WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 323 anthracnose, or black rot are not likely to meet hundred miles without shelling from the clus requirements for varietal release. ter or deteriorating seriously. 3. Productivity: Selections worthy of con 7. Shelf life: The merchant, either in store sideration should be prolific and produce or roadside stand, requires grapes that will regularly. hold up on display with an appetizing appear 4. Quality of fruit, type of cluster, size of ance for a reasonable sales period. berry: These three qualifications are men LITERATURE CITED tioned together because they most affect con 1. Rhodes, Arthur S. Diseases of grapes in Florida. Fla. sumer appeal. Individual choices in fruit Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 178:75-156. 1926. 2. Munson, T. V. Foundations of American grape cul flavors differ, but attractive clusters with ture. T. V. Munson & Son, Denison, Tex. 1909. berries averaging at least eleven-sixteenths 3. Pierce, N. B. The California vine disease. U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Veg. Path. Bui. 2:1-222. 1892. inch in diameter for seeded grapes are favored. 4. Hewitt, Wm. B., Norman W. Frazier, H. E. Jacob, and J. H. Freitag. Pierce's Disease of grapevines. Calif. Agr. 5. Color and earliness: Blue grapes have Exp. Sta. Cir. 353:1-32. 1942. sales appeal on most markets, and grapes that 5. Stoner, Warren N., L. H. Stover, and G. K. Parris. Field and laboratory investigations indicate grape degenera reach a high soluble solids content early usual tion in Florida is due to Pierce's Disease virus infection. Plant Disease Reptr. 35:341-344. 1951. ly sell at a premium. In the Station's program 6. Crall, J. M. and L H. Stover. The significance of emphasis is being placed on developing dark Pierces Disease in the Decline of Bunch Grapes in Florida. (Abst.) Phytopath. 47:518. 1957. colored selections that are early. However, this does not exclude light colored selections of 7;enne'!^h Uh t merit. Sta cfrS.68!V.12: ^Is^ 9. Stover, L. H. Blue Lake, a bunch grape for Florida 6. Carrying quality: Grapes in Florida home gardens. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. S-120:3-10. 1960. should be transportable for at least a few 10. Williams, W. and A. G. Brown. Breeding new vari eties of fruit trees. Endeavour. XIX. 75-A47A55. 1960. RARE FRUIT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES 1959-60 William Francis Whitman1 place on ways to protect plants from cold damage. Melvin Andrews, Fairchild Tropical and Garden employee, related two years ago his Mrs. Otto L. Churney2 thermometer, placed in the open four feet above the ground, registered 22 degrees F. The first meeting of the Rare Fruit Council, from 12:30 a.m. until 6 a.m. His plants suf following the presentation of its 1958-59 paper fered damage in spite of precautions. Near at the Florida State Horticultural Society his location a large field of staked tomatoes annual meeting in Miami, was held Friday were protected with complete success by the evening, November 13, 1959 at the Simpson use of heaters and trucks mounted with power Memorial Garden Center. A one hour 16mm driven air propellers. George Mooty, with the Hawaiian movie was the main event of the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station, reported the evening. Mr. Whitman's film covered in detail Julie mango (Mangifera indica), the Carrie many of the agricultural crops of these Poly mango and the B-17 Barbados cherry (Mai nesian Islands, including sugar cane (Sac- pighia punicifolia) to be more susceptible to charum officinarum), pineapples (Ananas cold than many other varieties of the same comosus), coffee (Coffea arabica), taro (Colo- fruits. Letters from Dr. L. B. Singh, Director, casia antiquorum), papayas (Carica papaya) Horticultural Research Institute, Saharanpur, and bananas (Musa sp.). The importance of U. P., India, Director Chih-Foo Yang, Chia-Yi agriculture to the economy of this new state Agricultural Experiment Station, Chia-Yi, Tai was stressed. At the conclusion of the meet wan, Formosa, D. Serpa, Facultad de Agrono- ing santols (Sandoricum koetjape), wax mia El Limon, Maracay* Venezuela and Barto- jambo (Syzygium javanica), longan (Euphoria lome R. Luardo, Acting Superintendent, longana) and other plants were offered for Davao Experiment Station, Bureau of Plant distribution. Industry, Philippines were read by the Coun At the December meeting a discussion took cil President. Typical of these letters was Dr. JPast president, 189 Bal Bay Drive, Bal Harbour 54, Fla. Singh's statement, "I gratefully acknowledge Recording secretary, 7770 S. W. 134th St., Miami 56. the receipt of the reprint of your paper entitled 324 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 Canned Malabar chestnuts (PACHIRA MACROCARPA) from Formosa. Photo by Wm. F. Whitman 'Rare Fruit Council Activities', which you ical nut tree, native to Mexico and Central have kindly sent to me. The informations con America, was introduced into the Chia-Yi tained in this paper are going to be of im Agricultural Station in 1931 and has since been mense value to us over here". distributed to farmers. The nuts are thought Dr. John Popenoe, accompanied by Dr. to have commercial possibilities and the tree Carl Campbell, attended our January meet has been found well adapted to Central and ing. Dr. Popenoe has recently joined the staff Southern Taiwan. Plants for distribution at of the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station where the conclusion of the meeting included the he will be engaged in pomology as an assist carob (Ceratonia siliqua), the mammey-apple ant horticulturist. Previously at the University (Mammea americana) and the white sapote of Alabama he had earned on experiments (Casimiroa edulis). with the genus Prumis. Dried canned Malabar A report was made by Mr. Whitman at chestnuts (Pachira macrocarpa) were passed the February meeting on tests run, over a among the membership for sampling and period of time, to determine any pH. level evaluation. These salmonish-brown kernels, changes on a fine hammock sand soil trucked with yellowish-white stripes, had been for into Bal Harbour and spread over the existing warded from the Chia-Yi Agricultural Experi calcareous bay bottom fill to a depth of several ment Station in Formosa by Director Yang, feet for the purpose of growing tropical fruits who had been a Council guest in June, 1956. on an acid medium. In July, 1956 the ham Roasted, these delicious tropical nuts have a mock sand gave a pH. 6.56 reading and in flavor like the peanut, only richer tasting. January, 1960 the pH. ran 6.6. This was of The samples have remained crisp and fresh, at interest because at the time of both tests the the time of writing, after having been canned subsoil water table, commencing at a depth over a year. An objection is the difficulty in of four to five feet, had a salt concentration removing the thin shell or husk which adheres of approximately 2520 p.p.m. The effects of to the seed. This deciduous ornamental trop salt being carried toward the soil surface by WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 325 capillary attraction, the pH. 8 city water used their recent flower show. Dwight Smith and for irrigation and salt laden air from the ocean Wesley Wilson very ably prepared the fruit two blocks away had presented the question as exhibit for this event. The Council also heard to whether the pH. had been raised appreci a letter from Director Chih Foo Yang giving ably, which it apparently had not. The sam additional information on the Malabar chest ples of soil and ground water were sent to the nut. In this he stated that the fruit of the Soil Testing Laboratory, University of Florida, Pachira macrocarpa is a capsule with five cells Gainesville where the pH. was run. Ray Rich containing about twenty seeds, only ten to ardson stated that small bael fruit (Aegle fifteen of these being fully developed. A tree marmelos) seedlings were undamaged by the may set two hundred to five hundred fruit an recent cold and George Mooty related that nually. The unroasted kernel has almost no heavy frost at the Sub-Tropical Experiment flavor, like that of the raw peanut. Experi Station had killed back their mangosteen ments are being made in removing the shell (Garcinia mangostana) to near ground level from the nut prior to roasting. Mr. Gregory in spite of being watered and surrounded by introduced Louis Daigle, former State Plant smudge pots. Board inspector. The question was put to Mr. In March a letter from the. Upper Keys Daigle concerning the possibility of having Garden Club, Key Largo was read1 expressing restrictions lifted on importing mangosteen appreciation for the Council's participation in fruit from Hawaii. Arrangements had been LUCUMA HYPOGLAUCA, a new introduction fruiting at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station. This is the size of an orange with a hard outer shell. Photo by John Noonan. 326 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1960 made for Forester Bryan to ship this fruit Daigle suggested the Council contact the U. from Hilo but he found this impossible under S.D.A. in Beltsville. A discussion on mango- current U.S.D.A. Hawaiian regulations. Mr. steens followed and it was recalled that Dr. Hurricane Donna damaged many trees at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Station, including this large yellow mombin (SPONDIAS LUTEA). Photo by Wm. F. Whitman WHITMAN AND CHURNEY: RARE FRUIT COUNCIL 327 David Fairchild had sought compatible root- hoping to locate one which would induce a stock from among the numerous Garcinias, more rapid growth under less favorable con- Partially completed pineapple (ANANAS COMOSUS) sketch by Ota Williams. The variety is Red Spanish. Photo bv Don Duffy.