The Apple Tree That Defied Botany
A single apple graft near Dayton produced fruit in its first season, defying agricultural norms.
At the Morre orchard below Dayton, Washington, now owned by the Israel-Erbes Orchard Co., about 100 cuttings from Rome Beauty apples were grafted on Spitzenburg trees this spring. They are nearly all living and growing, but the most phenomenal thing is that one graft had four well-formed apples on it last week. All but one of these were taken off in the process of thinning to allow the graft to make a greater growth. Fruit rarely appears on a graft the first year it is made, and apple men have been greatly interested in this unusual occurrence.
“Fruit rarely appears on a graft the first year it is made, and apple men have been greatly interested in this unusual occurrence.”
Orchard innovation and graft technology remain central to the Pacific Northwest's identity, though today's growers rely more on genetic research than accidental surprises. The story captures the trial-and-error spirit of the Washington agricultural industry during the 1920s boom.
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