I was going to post this in the "Fruit Thieves" topic I saw a few days ago but I don't see it anymore. I must be losing it.
Got a call an hour ago from a friend I met a little over a year ago. He's an older Mexican gentleman who works part time for the school district in landscaping. He has a big backyard with 3 green/shade houses and hundreds of grafted and seedling mangoes. I give him budwood and he grafts and grows them for me. But he refuses to accept any money. I stopped asking because I think it annoys him. I give him any supplies, budwood, seedlings of other trees, and purchased plants that he'll accept which isn't very much. I gave him 18 scions 2 months ago purchased through a seller here of which 15 took.
Anyways, he calls me and says to take as much of the grafted trees as I want. I told him I just want a couple to give the rest away to his friends and the teachers he works with. He says to take more soon because he doesn't know if there'll be any next time I visit. I asked why. And he tells me over the 3 last weeks they have stolen over a 100 grafted mangoes, dozens at a time, probably coming over the neighbor's wall. He had around 150 Keitts since that's what everyone wants because it's grown commercially here, and now he's down to 22.
This guy doesn't even sell his trees, he just gives them away and grows them for the love of the art. Makes my blood boil that there's a selfless Johnny Appleseed type character out there doing good, and he's paid back with his kindness to the world by having the fruit of his efforts stolen by scumbags.
