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Re: [nafex] Apple breeding



John,
Do you know more about MN447 and if it is possible to get scions of it? Do you
think it would do well in our northeast zones 3 and 4? ....................vic

john bunker wrote:

> Doug:
>
> Re: Malinda
>
>         My understanding is that when the Minnesota breeding program began at
> the Fruit Breeding Farm south of Excelsior in 1908 (now the U of MN
> Horticultural Research Center), they needed a source of apple seed.  It
> was as much by chance as devise that Malinda was the choice, as there
> happened to be an orchard nearby with a lot of Malinda trees. And it's
> interesting to me that an apple considered by most to be mediocre and
> selected arbitrarily produced such a number of superior offspring. At
> least ten of Minnesota's introductions have Malinda in the parentage
> including, of course, Sweet Sixteen, Keepsake, Chestnut, Haralson,
> Honeygold and Honeycrisp.  By the way, as you know Sweet Sixteen is
> frequently mentioned for its unique combination of flavors.  I've been
> told that MN 447, one of Sweet 16's parents and itself an offspring of
> Malinda, has that same taste only more so.
>
> John Bunker