Thomas Nelson Burford (August 29, 1935 – March 29, 2020) was an American

pomologist Pomology (from Latin , “fruit,” + ) is a branch of botany that studies fruit and its cultivation. The term fruticulture—introduced from Romance languages (all of whose incarnations of the term descend from Latin and )—is also used. Pomol ...

, orchardist, and apple historian. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the revival of heritage apples and

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

in the United States.

Early life and education

Burford was born on Tobacco Row Mountain in Amherst County, Virginia. His Burford ancestors were early settlers of Amherst and Nelson Counties, first arriving in 1715. He studied philosophy at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Career

He and his brother ran Burford Brothers, a company which ran several businesses including a forestry business, a sawmill, and a construction company that specialized in passive solar construction. When he closed his business in 1994, he gave his collection of more than 200 heirloom apple varieties to Vintage Virginia Apples in

North Garden, Virginia North Garden is a Census-designated place in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 United States census was 461. Geography North Garden is southwest of Charlottesville. North Garden has a post office with Z ...

. Burford was a consultant on the care of old orchards and the design of new ones. He lectured for many years on the history of apple cultivation in the United States and the origins of the apple. He held yearly workshops on apple grafting, including at Monticello. Notably Burford confirmed the identity of the

Harrison cider apple The Harrison cider apple is one of the most famous 18th-century American cider apples, primarily used for the production of apple cider. Grown in New Jersey before and after the American Revolution, it became obsolete by the 20th century. The Harr ...

when it was rediscovered in the latter 20th century. Previously this variety was believed to be lost. Historically the Harrison had the highest reputation among cider apples. Subsequently Tom made Harrison grafts available to orchards in the United States and exported grafts to France.

Awards and honors

He won the 2014

American Horticultural Society The American Horticultural Society (AHS) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that promotes excellence in American horticulture. It is headquartered at River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia. History Established in 1922, the AHS is one of t ...

Book Award for his book ''Apples of North America''. He won the 2015 "Founding Cville" award from the Tom Tom Founders Festival.

Books

*''Apples: A Catalog of International Varieties'' (T. Burford, 2004) *''Apples of North America: Exceptional Varieties for Growers, Gardeners and Cooks'' (Timber Press, 2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burford, Tom Pomologists 2020 deaths 1935 births People from Amherst County, Virginia American horticulturists University of Virginia alumni