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Apple archways at the East Malling Research Centre in Kent, UK.
Geraldine Warner
Forty members of the International Fruit Tree Association took part in an international study tour in Europe in July. The tour began with visits to the revered East Malling Research Center in Kent, England, where Sir Ronald Hatton collected, catalogued, tested, and named the Malling apple rootstocks that have been widely used around the world.
Dr. Terence Robinson, horticulturist with Cornell University in Geneva, New York, remarked during the visit that growers have benefited greatly from Hatton’s work and from being able to use the dwarfing M.9 rootstock in intensive apple plantings. “It’s almost like coming to Mecca for us,” he commented.
The tour continued in Belgium and Holland, where the group visited apple and pear orchards and nurseries.
Look for reports of the tour in upcoming issues of the Good Fruit Grower.
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