Scientists hope a century-old apple tree at Guilford can help grow future apple trees without the reliance of insecticides.
“I really want to make sure that we preserve the genetic material. That tree could come down in an ice storm easily, it could be blown over in a heavy summer thunderstorm."
Just yards from The Early College at Guilford’s classrooms, in the shadow of Bryan Hall, stands the sole survivor of a Quaker orchard that was planted in the 19th century.
A gnarled tree, its weathered bark a mottled, stony gray, has borne witness to more than a century of Guilford’s development from what is now the intersection of George Fox Road and Quadrangle Drive. It still produces apples in late summer and early fall, but its remaining years may be few.
That’s why some are now trying to preserve its legacy. Diane Flynt, author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived, a history of apple cultivation in the region, last year took some cuttings from the tree, and sent them to two nurseries for grafting to produce more trees of that variety. She gathered some leaf samples and sent them off to Washington State University for DNA testing.
“I really want to make sure that we preserve the genetic material,” says Diane. “That tree could come down in an ice storm easily, it could be blown over in a heavy summer thunderstorm.”
Terry Hammond '81, retired founding director and curator of the Guilford College Art Gallery, brought the tree to Diane’s attention last year while attending an event at the Greensboro Historical Museum where Diane was the featured speaker.
A photo taken around the turn of the 20th century (left) shows a group of women lounging under apple trees in the campus orchard, but exactly when the orchard was planted is not known. Diane believes its longevity could provide some valuable insights.
“We are looking for varieties that are disease-resistant and will flourish in hot, humid conditions,” she says. “And this tree has really had no special treatment. It’s had some dead limbs removed over the years, but it’s not been sprayed as it would in a commercial orchard, or given any kind of disease prevention. Yet, it’s survived.”
What she would like to see is perhaps a small orchard with about a half dozen trees grown with the cuttings she gathered.
“They’ll still be there when the grand old dame hits the ground, which hopefully won’t be for a dozen years,” she says.