SURVEY
PROTOCOL
FIRST PRECAUTION
During a fruit exploration in a specific area, it is essential to make
sure that the survey only include fruit varieties that have actually
been selected by man.
In other words:
the prospected tree must have a visible graft point, or,
if this is not the case, another tree bearing exactly the same fruits
must be found.
Without such a precaution,
the chance would be great of including in the inventory:
- wild fruit trees
- fruit trees that were never grafted
- fruits trees which were grafted, but whose grafted part has died,
and whose branches are now coming from the rootstock.
THE GRAFT POINT
Its identification is not always easy. It is usually much more visible
on pear trees than on apple trees.
Trees were grafted at various height, from a few centimetres to several
metres (up to 5 m in the case of several consecutive graftings).
Some trees have been grafted
several time consecutively on the same trunk during their life. In this
case, the oldest variety is the lowest one on the tree, just above the
first graft point and below the second. The most frequent example is
the "Catillard" variety top-grafted with the "Curé"
variety.
Sometimes trees have been
grafted from the start with several varieties. The different varieties
are now located on distinct main boughs, each issuing at the same height
from the trunk.
Finally,
grafts of young little branch(es) have occasionally been made on old trees, which then bear a second variety (in most cases a good table
one, Williams for instance).
STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE WHEN FACING A FRUIT TREE BEARING
FRUITS
1. Draw a map of the surroundings, place the tree on the map
and give it a code name.
2. Estimate the age of the tree, from the circumference of its
trunk.
3. How many fruit varieties does it bear ? If there is only one,
then a graft point must be found (or another tree bearing the same fruits).
If there are more, the tree was necessarily grafted somewhere at least
one time.
4. Walk around the tree, looking at it carefully from bottom
to top, in order to establish:
a. the existence of one or more graft point,
on the trunk or the main boughs.
b. the existence of scars or holes where the
main boughs separate from the trunk: it may well be that they have been
left by the grafted variety that did not survived.
c. how may boughs (if any) issue from the rootstock.
d. which boughs are bearing the grafted varieties.
5. Taste the fruits, and try to define their ripeness time and
their use. If necessary, come again when the fruits are in their right
ripeness time.
6. If the variety is unknown, pick a sufficiently large number
of fruits (20), for description.
7. Try to get in touch with locals who would be likely to know
the name and use of the variety.
