----------
>From: Jane Sooby <jane@ofrf.org>
>To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
>Subject: North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX)
>Date: Mon, Aug 9, 1999, 12:08 PM
>
>
>NAFEX seems a natural collaborator in the sustainable ag quest, being a
>network of fruit aficiandos who fervently believe in the power of the
>amateur to improve the quality and hardiness of fruits of all kinds. In
>"The Handbook for Fruit Explorers" (1986), Ram Fishman writes:
>
>By the end of the First World War, however, it was becoming increasingly
>apparent that we had evolved into a mass society of consumers fed by an
>ever-shrinking number of agricultural producers. The active quest for
>better fruit varieties was relegated to an elite corp of professional
>pomologists working for the universities and government agencies. The years
>that followed witnessed a drastic reduction in the variety and, in many
>respects, the quality of the fruit available in the marketplace. Scores of
>fine old cultivars became virtually extinct, as a few commercial varieties
>were allowed to dominate. Modern fuit culture became the province of
>large-scale orchardists in a few select regions, and modern fruit was rated
>primarily on appearance, shipping ability, and tolerance to prolonged cold
>storage.
> Too often the new scientific pomology and commercial orchard practices
>resulted in mediocrity for the fruit consumer. A few remembered the old
>varieties and flavors with nostalgia, but most people soon forgot and were
>content with commercial-quality fruit.
>
>NAFEX started as a network of amateur fruit growers who passed around
>bundles of letters containing growing tips, strategies, varieties, etc.
>Known as the Round Robin of Corresponding and Contributing Horticultural
>Hobbyists, it evolved into NAFEX which publishes the fruit-growers'
>newsletter "Pomona."
>
>NAFEX has a website (http://www.nafex.org/) and maintains a library of
>materials on fruit and nut production, including many old pamphlets and
>publications. Check it out!
>
>
>Jane Sooby
>technical program coordinator
>Organic Farming Research Foundation
>P.O. Box 440
>Santa Cruz, CA 95061
>831-426-6606
>831-426-6670 fax
>831-460-9713 home
>www.ofrf.org
>jane@ofrf.org
>
>To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
>"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
>"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
>To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
>"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
>
>All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
>http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail
>
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail