I missed the cut-off date for the Black Madeira contest but though I'd share my essay with you folks because I believe there is a lot of merit to the point I made.


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We ALL need a Black Madeira.

I am of the opinion that we are stewards entrusted to ensure the successful proliferation and preservation of these species.

By spreading the species far and wide we are in fact building up a gene bank against possible wide-spread decimation should there be global collapse.

By having small caches of various varieties spread throughout the world we are creating isolated repositories, that may have a better chance of escaping whatever disease, virus or insect attacks may occur.

Or even more optimistically one of us may end up with the freak genetic mutant that is resistant to whatever cause the blight!

Upon the end of the blight, hopefully one of these caches will survive, and serve to provide a stock to repopulate the worlds fig supply.

While this may seem like a far fetched idea, history has proven otherwise. For example the Castanea dentata (American Chestnut) was once a native tree that grew from southern Maine across the Midwest to Michigan, down through Indiana and Illinois, and south to Alabama and Mississippi, and eastward into the Appalachians. The American Chestnut was cultivated in 1800 and was once considered to be the queen of the eastern American forest.

For the people of the southern Appalachians, the American Chestnut was economically important.

The nut crops and the local economy that they supported were the first to go. For about ten years after the blight, nuts were still gathered from uninfected trees high in the southern Appalachians. By 1940 there was only a minor production of nuts from the sprouts and seedlings that survived.

Stands of American Chestnut had to be replaced by seed from distant sources. An isolated incident occurred in 1992 in Pennsylvania with a small group of pure American chestnuts, where these trees demonstrated growth while still infected with blight.


Therefore, by spreading the stock, we can ensure survival of the species.


Imagine a world without figs!!!

That in my opinon is a written good, i for sure could not right a correct essay. I found interesting about the chestnut as i have known about that tree and the american elm which i had growing in front of childhood house that one day the town came and cut all of them down, back in the 60s every house for miles had that tree, a botanist it think you call them was determined to find some that survived the dutch elm disease. He did and inoculated it with the disease and it fought it off .I now have a 20ft specimin,there was another that was treated the same way called a vally forge elm an american elm as well that did the same. So i think you are right on in your essay.Who knows what might happen in future.
Best Health
Martin

I had known of an American Chestnut tree in Riverside, RI that has been the subject of much study by botanists. not only did it survuve the blight but to this day shows no signs of infection and is still producing a handful of viable nuts per year.

Having chestnuts in my avatar is probably clear evidence I have an interest in them.  I belong to various discussion groups involving chestnuts and am a member of the American Chestnut Foundation.  There are quite a few American chestnut trees around in the east which have either escaped or survived the blight, but nothing like what populated the forests a hundred years ago.

The point about sharing and the discussion of chestnuts also brings up the point that we need to be careful not to spread diseases when sharing material.  The chestnut blight started when chestnut material was brought in from China around 1896, I believe, and was first spotted in the Bronx Botanical Gardens.  It is said that at one time a squirrel could jump from one American chestnut tree to another all the way from Main to Georgia, but they are scarce today.  Quite a disaster.  Chestnuts in the south first encountered another disease in the south which was imported, phythopthora.

Still, I do think it is good for us to share resources.  We just need to use common sense at the same time.