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Merit Badge Chit Chat:  Apple Facts for beginner Apple badge  |
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GinnyBelle
True Blue Farmgirl
506 Posts
Hannah
West Lafayette
IN
USA
506 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 06 2020 : 8:00:34 PM
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To earn my beginner apple badge, one of the requirements is that I share a couple new things that I learned while researching the history of apples in North America.
1. In the 1800’s, around 14,000 distinct varieties were being grown in the U.S.
2. The modern day apple variety was bred by Japanese breeders by crossing the Ralls Genet, a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, with a Red Delicious.
3. Johnny Appleseed did not favor the practice of grafting and instead planted actual seedlings. Because seedlings often produced an “inferior” apple, nearly all of his trees were planted with cider making rather than eating in mind.
4. At one point, an early Virginia planter and Statesman said that cider made from his 2,500 apple trees was worth more than 15,000 pounds of tobacco.
Farmgirl #6994
Sunshine Mixed With A Little Hurricane |
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6663 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6663 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2020 : 4:56:58 PM
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Hannah, Let me add more information about the Fuji apple . It was developed by the Japanese, but the ground work source was of first originated with Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was experimenting with apple growing at his home, Monticello. Before Jefferson was President, he was appointed as the Minister to France. During this time he became friends with a Monsieur Genet. Monsieur Genet sent Jefferson some grafting of a favorite French apple tree. At the time, Jefferson took the grafts over to his friend and well known nurseryman in Amherst County, Va. whose name was Mr. Ralls. Ralls grafted the french graft onto one of his apple stock trees and the resulting apple became known as the Ralls-Genet. For a time it was quite popular in the new United States, but fell out of favor as more and more apples were grown and were more popular. In the 1960s, the Japanese took this old stock Ralls-Genet and grafted it to the Red Delicious creating the Fuji which has now become way more popular that the Red Delicious , Granny Smith and many others.
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015
FGOTM- October 2018 |
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GinnyBelle
True Blue Farmgirl
506 Posts
Hannah
West Lafayette
IN
USA
506 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2020 : 5:56:08 PM
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Oh wow! Yes, I did not see that in so much detail. Thank you for adding that, Miss Winnie! :)
Farmgirl #6994
Sunshine Mixed With A Little Hurricane |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
7231 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
7231 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2020 : 12:35:02 PM
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Great information Hannah and Winnie! I love how cider was worth more than tobacco. I honestly never would have guessed that.
Winnie, I love the Fuji apple and find it better than the red delicious myself. I haven’t heard of the Ralls-Genet Apple before. It amazing how much work and travel goes into creating new apples.
Krista |
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Merit Badge Chit Chat: Apple Facts for beginner Apple badge |
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Apple Facts for beginner Apple badge
