March 2019 - 12
Planting An Industry
Wally Heuser's ideas shaped the
advancement of American orchards
By Stephen Kloosterman
FGN Associate Editor
Wallace E. " Wally " Heuser, a
pioneering apple grower who helped
introduce dwarfing rootstocks to
American fruit tree growers died
Feb. 5, in the west Michigan town of
Lawrence.
He was 90 years old.
" He was a great dad, grandfather
Wally Heuser on a trip to Chile. Photo: Wanda Heuser Gale
and great-grandfather and he loved his
trees, " his daughter Wanda Heuser Gale
wrote in an email.
Heuser Gale is president of International
Plant Management, a corporation she ran
with her father that provides growers with
new fruit tree selections.
Wally Heuser was known for leading
the American growers' adoption
of dwarfing rootstocks during the 1950s.
The now-widespread rootstocks manage
apple tree growth and are the foundation
of all modern high-density apple
orchards. He also helped introduce more
than 130 new apple varieties. His family
obituary credited him with introducing
such hits as Smoothee Golden Delicious,
Redchief Red Delicious, Paula Red and
Buckeye Gala.
In 2007, Wally Heuser and other
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leaders of the dwarfing rootstocks
movement spoke to Fruit Growers
News. Heuser said he learned about
the rootstocks at college - he had
graduated cum laude from Michigan
State University in 1950 with a bachelor
of science in pomology. His family
farm at Hilltop Orchards and Nurseries
near Hartford, Michigan, was both a
producing orchard and a business that
sold grafted nursery stock - the perfect
place to try using the new rootstooks.
" They used to call me 'three in a hole'
because I was planting so close, " Heuser
said in 2007. " And of course, I was
accused of just wanting to sell more trees.
I used our orchard as a laboratory. "
" It just sorta grew, " Heuser said. " We
didn't know how to handle dwarf trees and
we made a lot of mistakes. But we learned
from our mistakes and marched forward. "
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president of the International Fruit Tree
Association. Heuser was a recipient of
the Wilder Medal from the American
Pomological Society for fruit variety
improvement, the Michigan State
University Distinguished Service
Award for Agriculture, the Centennial
Distinguished Service Award from the
Michigan State Horticultural Society,
recipient of the Outstanding Service
Award from the International Dwarf
Fruit Tree Association, the Fruit Man
of the Year Award from the Michigan
Association of Pomesters, the first Hall of
Fame Award from the International Fruit
Tree Association, and the 2011 Cherry
Industry Person of the Year.
In 2011, he received the Distinguished
Service to Agriculture Award, the
Michigan Farm Bureau's highest honor.
His obituary suggested that in lieu of
flowers, donations could be made to the
International Fruit Tree Association, the
group he helped found.
" With IFTA firmly in place, Heuser
believes, the mechanism is there to find,
test and bring new ideas into commercial
orchards, " Fruit Growers News wrote
in 2007. " He has no doubts IFTA will
organize lots of gatherings in fruit
orchards in the future. He's proud of the
part he played in starting that effort. " FGN
12 | FruitGrowersNews.com
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March 2019
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