Look at all the apples on the Golden Delicious branch.  This tree was grafted with three different apple varieties.  Since apple trees need cross pollination to produce apples, the grower took scions from Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and one other variety, and grafted them onto a strong root stock.  As the tree grows, each of the three major branches cross pollinate, and produce its own kind of apples.  This way we only had to buy one tree, rather than two or more.  And we get three different kinds of apples.  Pretty cool, huh?

 

Oh, the flashing around the trunk?  That is to keep the raccoons, possums, and squirrels from swiping all of our apples.  Not too pretty, but it works.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!