RICAN ORTICULTURlSf NEWS EDITION-SEPTEMBER 1983 Pawpaw: The Forgotten American Fruit Nutritional studies indicate that the American pawpaw (Asimina tri­ loba), a long-neglected American na­ tive that bears excellent-tasting fruit, may emerge as one of our most val­ uable fruit trees. Chemist John P. Cherry of the U.S.D.A. Eastern Regional Research Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania analyzed the nutritional value of pawpaws and found that their fruit, which is unusually low in moisture content, is actually higher in unsatu­ rated fats, proteins and carbohy­ drates than three other more com­ mon fruits-apples, peaches and grapes. In addition, the pawpaw has exceptionally high levels of the amino acids that are essential to the human diet-over six times the amounts found in the three other fruits tested. According to Cherry, pawpaws also have high vitamin A and C con­ tent. For example, their vitamin A content is about the same as in ap­ ples and grapes, and although paw­ paws have less vitamin C than do citrus fruits, they have more than twice the amount found in apples, 8 peaches or grapes. Finally, pawpaws are higher in potassium, phospho­ g rus, magnesium, sulfur and iron than the three other fruits tested. A botanical drawing of pawpaw, Asimina triloba, published in 1890 in Silva of North America. Despite its sweet, pearlike fruit, which has the texture of a banana agation techniques, and shipping and can be domesticated successfully. and a fragrant aroma, pawpaws handling methods before pawpaws -Agricultural Research, April 1983 have not been cultivated widely; they are only found growing in a few home gardens. Pawpaws are shade tolerant, have attractive fo­ Inside This Issue liage, and are relatively disease and insect free. Unfortunately, little has • River Farm Notes ......................................................................... 3 been done to improve the species • Plants Wanted .............................................................................. 4 through breeding and selection. • Two New Plants Proposed as Endangered ................................... 5 More information will need to be • Gardener's Dateline .................................... .......................... ........ 6 gathered on cultural practices, prop- • Disease-Resistant Crab Apples for Gardens ................................. 12 Sharing the Beauty Double Your I Society members occasionally write Of course, many AHS members Giving Power ( to offer us back copies of American make Society publications a perma­ Horticulturist. Some long-time mem­ nent part of their gardening librar­ Did you know that hundreds of bers even offer to send issues of ies. But if you find you need the ex­ companies provide, as a benefit to American Horticulturist's predeces­ tra space and must weed out your their employees, matching gifts to sor, The American Horticultural collection, I am sure you will share non-profit organizations? For exam­ Magazine. We appreciate this the pleasure I feel when I think of . pIe, an employee of IBM who con­ thoughtfulness, and gladly accept our magazines delighting new read­ tributes $20.00 to the American copies of certain issues that are in ers who might otherwise not have a Horticultural Society can fill out a very short supply. But, except for chance to see them. form requesting that IBM "match" the rare issues listed below, we have Issues We Need to Complete his gift to AHS. Under the compa­ ample back issues in our office ar­ ny's guidelines, AHS qualifies as a chives, and, as we seldom sell back Our File: cultural institution for a matching issues, we cannot justify the space 1982: February, May, June, August, gift. IBM doubles the employee's required to add substantially to our October (Nos. 2, 5, 6, 8 and 10) contribution to AHS, giving the So­ inventory. 1981: July and October (Nos. 7 ciety $40.00. Combine this with the If you have back issues you no and 10) employee's own contribution, and longer wish to keep, please check 1979-80: December/January (No.6) the Society receives $60.00 instead the list below. I would be delighted 1977: Late Spring (No.3) and Late of the $20.00 the member alone if you wish to donate to the Society Summer (No.4) could provide. any of the issues we need. As for 1976: Early Spring (No.2), Fall The Society has received several those we cannot use, I would like to (No.5), and Winter (No.6) such matching gifts this year, and suggest that members donate these 1974: Spring (No.1) and Late we are grateful to those members to community or college libraries, or Summer (No.3) who have investigated their employ­ to hospitals and nursing homes. -Connie Clark ers' policies and filled out the ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ matching gift forms. Programs vary ,.. from company to company; some employers will match your member­ }\\ffiRIaN Upcoming ship dues while others will match only straight contributions. Why not - RORTICULTURIST AHSEvents ask about your company's policy? VOLUME 62 NUMBER 9 You may find that, with the help of The following Society-sponsored your employer, you have more giv­ EDITOR tours and other events have been ing power than you had imagined. Barbara W. Ellis scheduled for this fall. For more in­ -Connie Clark ART DIRECTOR formation about any of these events Rebecca K. McClimans write or call the Society'S Education ASSOCIATE EDITOR Department. Lynn M. Lynch Avant Gardener EDITORIAL A.SSISTANT Jane Steffey September 14-18 IPM Special Issue Address all eGlitorial correspondence to: AHS Annual Meeting in Philadel­ The Editor, American Horticulturist phia, Pennsylvania. American Horticultural Society Available Box 0105 September 18-25 Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121 Gardeners interested in integrated AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST is pub­ Post-Conference Tour of the Eastern pest management will want to send lished monthly by the American Horticul­ Seaboard. for the new special issue of the tural Society, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Avant Gardener, which is devoted Alexandria, Virginia 22308, 703-768-5700. October 9 entirely to the subject. The eight­ Dues for membership in the Society start Fall Festival at River Farm, Mt. Ver­ page issue discusses bacterial insecti­ at $20 per year, $12 of which is for non, Virginia, from 11 :00 a.m. to AMERICAN HORTICULTURIST. Copy­ cides, beneficial insects, trap and right © 1983 by The American Horticul­ 4:00 p.m. snare techniques, botanical insecti­ tural Society. cides and includes both a source and The American Horticultural Society is a November 1-24 a reference book list. non-profit organization. Contributions are AHS Autumn in the Orient Tour of "New Ways In Pest Control" is deductible for income tax pllrposes. Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. available for $1.50 from The Avant ISSN ·0096-4417. Second-class postage paid Gardener, PO Box 489, New York, at Alexandria, Virginia and at additional November 5 mailing offices .. Postmaster: Please send NY 10028. A free sample copy of Form 3579 to AMERICAN HORTICUL­ AHS Mini-Symposium in Baltimore, The Avant Gardener will be sent TURIST, Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121. Maryland. with each order for the special issue. 2 • SEPTEMBER 1983 GARDENERS: River Fann Notes Make Whenever I think of autumn my tions of a soluble liquid plant ferti­ mind's eye always seems to conjure lizer such as Peters 9-45-15 (two ta­ Your up images of autumn foliage and blespoons per gallon) or 20-20-20 masses of chrysanthemums ablaze (one tablespoon per gallon) from Own with yellow, orange, bronze and red. mid-summer until just before they River Farm has always been bloom. Brown blessed with excellent fall foliage, Pests: Chrysanthemums are gener­ Gold! but it has never been able to boast a ally pest-free, but occasionally an truly superb chrysanthemum plant­ application of malathion or Sevin® Don't throwaway grass clippings, ing-until now. Thanks to the won­ used-up crops, kitchen garbage, will be needed to combat sucking in­ old newspapers, hedge and tree trim­ derful people associated with the sects. Benlate may also be required mings, etc. Feed everything (even Old Dominion Chrysanthemum So­ to combat various fungi. steak bones) to this WoW Shredder/ ciety, we now have an outstanding Grinder. It will turn it all into instant Pinching: If you want nice full mulch and compost... in seconds! display of these plants, so indispen­ plants in the fall, your chrysanthe­ sable to the fall garden. As you read Re-cycle everything organic. There's mums, with the exception of cush­ a model just right for you ... including this column, the 350 plants in our ion mums, will require occasional our new Tomahawk, the only Shred­ new chrysanthemum bed will be just pinching. As soon as plants reach der/Grinder made for suburban coming into bloom. These lovely the height of six inches (generally in gardens. Write for more details! harbingers of autumn will add mid-May), nip off the top two -------- Mail to: greatly to our display this season inches. Pinching will result in lots of and for many seasons to come. WoW Grinder, Inc. new growth, so another pinching 2957 N. Market SI., Room 21093 , Wichita, KS 67219 Chrysanthemums are easily grown will usually be necessary four to six Telephone : (316) 838-4229 plants, and gardeners who take a lit­ weeks later (when the new growth o Please rushdetailsonyourW- WShredder/G rinders. tle time to learn about and fulfill has reached six inches in length). Name ____________ their needs cannot help but succeed Pinching can be continued right up with them. I can think of no better Address ________ ___ until the middle of July without time than the present to go over a City ____________ causing any delay in blooming. few basic cultural requirements. Winter Protection: Once flowering State _ _ ~Zip,--------_ Sun: Chrysanthemums love lots of is completed it is time to cut the sun, but they don't mind a little stems back to six inches and mulch NOW.•• BY MAIL! shading from the hot afternoon sun.