By Dan Mullins
It's been over three years since I told the story of the nineteenth century apple industry that existed in the community of Appleton, north of Brewton, Alabama. The business included a large grading shed, complete with shipping barrels and a cider press.
Mr. Greenberry Shell was the enterprising agriculturist who started it all, and the industry was based upon a special apple selection which came to be known as the "Shell Apple." It was evidently a hardy, low chill requiring apple that could tolerate Gulf Coast conditions.
The apple produced so well that during the harvest season two wagon loads per day were hauled to Brewton for shipment north by rail. In addition to the sale of fresh apples and cider, there was a regional and local demand for young trees of the "Shell Apple." Many families in the area purchased and planted trees for their own use. The orchard was long ago abandoned as life style changes and more modern food distribution systems had their way.
A few descendants of the old "Shell" trees remain on farms in northern Santa Rosa County, Florida and Escambia County, Alabama. Fortunately, a farmer friend in Jay, knowing the history of the tree, shared cuttings for grafting.
The grafting of the first trees about 10 years ago began one of the most interesting projects of my career. There are now a few maturing trees in the area from the original grafts and approximately 200 younger trees have been established in northwest Florida.
The Test Orchard
An orchard was established during the winter of 2006 in order to compare this heritage selection with more modern cultivars. There are 32 trees of three different kinds of apples in the orchard. The low chill cultivars being compared to "Shell" are "Anna" and "Dorsett Golden."
Though the orchard has only been established for two and one half years, unexpected production at a young age demanded that some data be collected this past summer. It's too soon to draw conclusions but so far, so good when comparing "Shell" to "Anna" and "Dorsett Golden." The young "Shell" trees, which are about three years old produced up to 27 apples each that weighed an average of seven ounces. Dorsett Golden produced more fruit, but these trees were approximately one year older than "Shell" when planted.
Other than being an enjoyable project and a diversion from more mundane duties, there are some objectives in mind for the orchard. Since the Gulf Coast is not known as apple growing country, it would be helpful to have another kind of fruit that could be grown by homeowners. And obviously, as an Extension Agent, I am always seeking another potential crop for small farms or for producers of conventional agricultural crops that are looking for more options.
We are a long way from recommending the "Shell Apple" as a commercial crop, but it has shown enough promise that one or two trees in the landscape would not be a far fetched consideration. Santa Rosa County 4-Hers will have a limited supply of trees for sale to local residents during late winter or early spring of 2009.
There are plans to collect data from the test orchard for several more years as the trees are not expected to reach peak production until they reach an age of 10 to 15 years. Over the next two years there will be a field day for those who would like to see the orchard and learn more. The field day will likely be during the month of June which is the harvest time for these low chill apples.
For more information of if you have a question, call Dan Mullins, Extension Commercial Horticulture Agent, The University of Florida/IFAS-Santa Rosa County Extension, at 850-623-3868, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm weekdays. Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).
