stores, because all were harvested when still too green, 

 before proper flavor developed. Idared has been sold 

 for the past 2 seasons by local grocery chains in mid- 

 September, fully 3 weeks before it should be harvested. 

 It seem ludicrous to harvest an apple so early that you 

 unjustifiably tarnish the name of that apple and also 

 jeopardize sales of other apples. 



2. Grower groups may volunteer time to pass out 

 apple samples in the grocery stores. Anyone who has 

 shopped recently has been offered free samples of 

 pizza, hotdogs, and cheese. Why not apples? 



3. In a recent address to the Washington State Horti- 

 culture Society, Frieda Caplan, Chairman of the Board 

 of Frieda's Finest Produce Specialties, Inc., made sev- 

 eral suggestions to Washington State Growers to in- 

 crease sales of their apples. She suggested that refrig- 

 eration of apples in grocery stores should be the grow- 

 ers' number one imperative. Taste, appearance, stor- 

 age life, more rapid rotation, and increased sales would 

 all be improved. It is time that we communicated to the 

 public the conditions under which apples should be 

 stored. 



4. There is a need for growers to become involved 

 with cultivar testing. Jim Ballard, a prominent Wash- 



ington State pomologist and former Washington State 

 University Elxtension specialist, has organized the 

 Pacific Northwest Fruit Testers Association. This 

 group is comprised of growers and nurserymen who 

 have agreed to test and share results and observations 

 of new apple cultivars with other members. Although 

 the membership is changing rapidly, in December, 

 1988, there were 180 members in 22 states and 12 

 countries. This organization is providing an invaluable 

 service to the industry by speeding up the testing 

 process and providing the most current information on 

 appropriate cultivars, especially those adapted to grow- 

 ing conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Recent evalu- 

 ations emphasize that environment plays a dominant 

 role in determining the suitability of a cultivar for a 

 particular location. Evaluations conducted in the Pa- 

 cific Northwest provide a good first screening. How- 

 ever, they provide only rough indications of suitability 

 for the Northeast. 



Is it time to establish an evaluation organization in 

 the Northeast? If you feel that this approach is appro- 

 priate contact Duane Greene (413-545-4733) or Wesley 

 Autio (413-545-2963). 



^* «f« ^« m9^ ^3 



*f» *f» •{• wj* wj* 



Fruit Notes, Summer, 1989 



