Nick Routledge@nick_routledge
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Context for varieties freely shared at the Lane County Propagation Fair, spring 2016. web.archive.org/web/20211109150246/https://springpropagationfair.com/fruit-varieties-at-the-fair/

Varieties at the 2016 Fair By our latest, still-evolving count, we are making around 400 varieties of fruit varieties freely available at the 2016 Lane County Propagation Fair. A vast array, yes, even as our count is down on previous years. Why the reduction in numbers? A very deliberate strategy, as it happens. We have been assiduously condensing our collecting efforts in recent years – from a focus on ‘diversity for diversity’s sake’, toward a highly-targeted emphasis on exceptional characteristics in locally-proven, disease-resistant varieties. Many of the varieties we will have at the fair are rare or completely unknown to the trade and compare exceedingly favorably with the latest modern cultivars. For example, our team rates...
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Varieties at the 2016 Fair By our latest, still-evolving count, we are making around 400 varieties of fruit varieties freely available at the 2016 Lane County Propagation Fair. A vast array, yes, even as our count is down on previous years. Why the reduction in numbers? A very deliberate strategy, as it happens. We have been assiduously condensing our collecting efforts in recent years – from a focus on ‘diversity for diversity’s sake’, toward a highly-targeted emphasis on exceptional characteristics in locally-proven, disease-resistant varieties. Many of the varieties we will have at the fair are rare or completely unknown to the trade and compare exceedingly favorably with the latest modern cultivars. For example, our team rates...

How do we determine our favorites? We have been busy decoding the long-term ecology of some huge, genetically-diverse collections – such as Nick Botner’s in Yoncalla, and the USDA repository in Corvallis – which afford us deep comparative insights into the relative performance of about 6,000 varieties of fruit trees. Ready, local access to such diversity, distinctively global, affords us an extraordinary ability – wholly unique on the international stage – to identify and collect superb examples of organic, high-performing cultivars from among a dizzying array of fruit types and characteristics.
Image description

Original X alt text

How do we determine our favorites? We have been busy decoding the long-term ecology of some huge, genetically-diverse collections – such as Nick Botner’s in Yoncalla, and the USDA repository in Corvallis – which afford us deep comparative insights into the relative performance of about 6,000 varieties of fruit trees. Ready, local access to such diversity, distinctively global, affords us an extraordinary ability – wholly unique on the international stage – to identify and collect superb examples of organic, high-performing cultivars from among a dizzying array of fruit types and characteristics.