Among some trusted friends (Nerchia, Tex Willer, Porcaccio, Sbattilana II and the Poet) I climbed to the top of the highest apple tree on the plantation and we enjoyed the view of the orchard in all its beauty.
The apple orchard has 16 rows, marked with letters of the alphabet, and the historical part has about 500 trees of various types. Where there were gaps, I planted the first 110 young apple trees in the area: 50 limoncelle, 50 cerine and 10 annurche.
While studying, I came across a curious piece of news: in Geneva, New York State, the government organization Plant Genetic Resources Unit has the largest selection of apple trees in the world. About two thousand five hundred varieties from all over the planet.
This news was the starting point for what I called my "educational path".
Along the bottom fence, bordering the local road that leads from the sports field under the tanks that were once used to wash clothes, I planted the first 21 different types of apple tree: limoncella, cerina, annurca, renetta, florina, tinella, san giovanni, antica, red delicious, sansa, mula, golden delicious, rosa, granny smith, fuji, gala, red love, abbondanza, janagold, stayman and emperor.
Even these plants have been the subject of introduction and today they all bear the plate on which to trace how they were introduced.
But the story continues and I subsequently planted a kako apple (MM00K) and 7 new varieties of apple tree (gelata, elstar, zitella, astracan, pinova, paradisa and prima) that are now waiting for a parent.
It is my intention to continue to grow the family that embraced this initiative. Chinese proverb:
"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best moment is today."
And now some news on the phytosanitary defence of fruit plants, such as the natural means to combat aphids, mites and harmful insects, I have been recommended an infusion of garlic created by chopping the bulbs in water and bringing them to a boil.
So I prepared the product that we sprayed on the plants together with the Bordeaux mixture and white oil. You can imagine the smell that we created after the treatment!
The green leaves have faded and now we are waiting for the scents of the fruits ...
Flashback!
A few years ago I found myself walking through a market in Boston when I recognized in the crowd the face of an Ortonese who had emigrated to America many years before.
It seemed strange to me, so went over and asked him point-blank if he had anything to do with Ortona dei Marsi.
After a moment of perplexity, his eyes lit up and he insisted that I accept all the fruit he had just bought: there was also a kilo of excellent apples that, perhaps, reminded him of the heavenly ones of his land.
How beautiful Ortona dei Marsi!
Follow us