This July issue of the North American Pomona marks the completion of the first decade of the North American Fruit Explorers formal existence and growth.

What started out as an attempt by a handful of almost esoteric fruit fanciers to communicate more efficiently than the round-robin correspondence system allowed, has now developed into a recognized and widely useful publication. When in August of 1967, the first issue was doggedly cranked out in a church basement in Toronto, none of us knew what Pomona's chances of survival were. Today we are convinced of continued success by virtue of the quality and quantity of input by many dedicated members. A most convincing criterion is the fact that all contributions are voluntary; no honorarium has ever been asked for nor paid out. The joy of congenial involvement will always be the driving force of NAFEX.

This issue also commemorates the 200th birthday of the United States of America with some retrospective, though not strictly historical, contributions. This is not out of patriotic glee but it stems from the realization that NAFEX's feeder roots go deep into North America's rural past, right into the era of agricultural and horticultural pioneering, when self-reliance, persistence, experimentation and innovation were necessities of life and crucial for success with any crop.

The creative spirit of '76 is as lively as ever in the North American Fruit Explorers.