Last May (or early June?), Clair Lammers sent a listing of nearly 400 varieties being tested in his favorable location on the road to Chena Hot Springs just outside Fairbanks. The coldest temperature last winter was -30°F, on Nov. 19 and again on Feb. 14. Snow cover was 18-20 inches. I count 41 pear varieties, 28 apricots, 46 plums, about 6 cherries, and about 269 apples on the list. There is an enormous amount of information in the full list so for this Newsletter I’ll confine myself to the pears and apricots.

The following pears were blooming as of this report: #1197. #1260, #379, Andrew, Fororstovsky, John, Jubilee, La Cock 6, Mishurn, Orel 15, Rousselett Stuttgart IX, and Ure. The following pears sustained no significant winter damage: #1139, #927, David, Golden Spice, Hanson Siberian, Ilinka, La Jre, Latvian A, Lesnain Krasavitza, Olia, Parker, Shipova, Simon, Patten, Pingo Li, Pioneer 3, PRS “Z”, Summercrisp, Tait-Dropmore, and Trubchanmka popularnaia. The following pear trees were dead: #1198, #931 (sunscald), BF6 (sunscald), Bi Li Hsiang (sunscald), Helmer, Rousselett Stuttgart IIV (sunscald), Rousselett Stuttgart II (sunscald), Rousselett Stuttgart IX (sunscald), and Ping Li (sunscald). Obviously, sunscald was the leading cause of death.

Apricot varieties didn’t do as well. Only Manchurian and Moongold were blooming. The following escaped winter damage: Mandshurica, Scout, Stratmore, and Prairie Gold, The following suffered slight dieback: Goldcot, two other Manchurians, Stratmore 1, Stratmore 2, Sub-Zero, and some young apricot seedlings. The rest died: Alfred, AR-10-SX, Bismark 2, Caldwell, Chinese, Drews 1, Hargrand, J.L. Budd, Kelly, NJ-A 62, Oralzhev Krassnyi, Perfection, Sungold, Sunrise, and Sunset.