Thanks I found it on the website. It says that it was patented december 30 1986. Still it should have expired december 2006. But now I just read this. (To further complicate matters, some plants are both patented (the only legal means to protect a new plant) and trademarked. Some nurserymen discovered that they could walk a tight rope around the spirit of the law and get the 20 year protection that the plant patent provides, plus a further measure of protection by trademarking. Once the patent expired, others could propagate the plant, but could not sell it under the trademark name. Trademarks are valid for 10 years if actually used correctly in commerce, and can be renewed indefinitely for 10 year periods.) I can't find any info on its trademark status. But if it is then I can sell El Toro, but I can't tell anyone it's El Toro?

From what I have been reading since original post, all of the columnar apple varieties are descended from a sport mutation of McIntosh, called McIntosh Wijcik. Crossed with any other apple variety, and you get roughly one half columnar and roughly one half normal progeny. The columnar mutation has been traced to a single gene. First generation hybrids have 1/2 McIntosh in their makeup. In subsequent generations that dilutes out. The Ballerina series, for example, descend from Wijick. They appear to be trademarked, Im notsure about patent. The only reason I want to use it is I have one in my yard already and would like another. I like to play with grafting and they are too expensive to buy another one just for novelty. They really arent that great an apple, but they make a handsome specimen tree as they age, especially with judicious pruning of the longer spurs. Wijcik was discovered in 1961 by an orchardist of that name. The patent was filed in 1978 by Starks. The original Wijcik was around so long before being patented, there might have been opportunity for development of multiple new strains before the original was marketed, and even after that. None of them seem to show up on a Best Flavor list. They are just a novelty. One progeny was Golden Sentinel. That was being trialed in 1996 in Canada - where Wijcik originated- but I think NorthPole is older. I am pretty sure my North Pole tree is at least 15 years old, and I doubt it was one of the early ones. I would be curious to see what happens with crossing these with an ornamental, disease resistant crab, like Prairie Fire. Select the columnar, red leaved seedlings... Probably small sour fruit with red flesh. But it would look cool.

I use Alima Pure currently. I've used Bare Minerals in the past and it's comparable to that except it's even better ingredient-wise. I feel like I need to use a lot of the Alima Pure to get decent coverage, though. I ordered a bunch of foundation samples and chose one I thought worked for my skin tone but I definitely chose too light of a color so if I order more I'll go darker next time. They have SO many colors it's difficult to select the best one...but that also means that even if it's not the perfect shade, it will still blend nicely. I didn't care for the concealer at all, at least not for blemishes. I think it would work well to cover general redness but I've never found anything to cover pimples well at all. The finishing powder is okay I guess...I'm not sure it really does anything. I have oily skin and I get VERY oily throughout the day with any brand, Alima Pure included. I really like their blush, and I LOVE their contouring powders! I have extremely fair skin and am still able to use the contouring powder which is awesome. I'm not totally satisfied with Alima Pure, but I have terrible skin...oily, HUGE pores (I mean huge), acne even as an adult, and I've never been satisfied with any brand...but with that said, if I had normal skin I really think I'd be in love with Alima Pure.

Actually, I am using humor to express my contempt for cutesy rose names. Speaking of renaming, maybe you would like to share with us the times you called out and or confronted the Heirloom Rose owners, past and or present, for their renaming practices of roses they actually did offer for sale. Unless and until I do propagate and offer a renamed rose for sale, I think you could restrain your indignation. BTW, I am certainly NOT going to tell the neighbor who had a few too many that my new rose is named 'Crush on You', so if I ever do grow that particular cultivar it will receive a new name in my yard at least.