There are larger busniess models and smaller ones. Larger models most often run their sales with that PT Barnum attitude of kindof treatng their customers like suckers- selling illusion and exageration instead of just emphasizing selling a quality product at a fair price. Stark is into that slick marketing technique that turns a lot of us off but has generally proven to be succesful in mass-marketing. Of course this isn't just based on the size of a company and I think you guys know what I'm talking about. All things being equal, I like to run with the smaller comapnies when I can, but if volume sales leads to cheaper prices for me, I may not care how a company sells their product- I'm likely to go for better price and better selection. However, if I lived in Philly, I wouldn't buy from Starks because there is similar selection and price from a more local nursery- Adams County Nursery. Adams County doesn't do that slick marketing to the homeowner-gardener crowd but they do sell individual trees and their selection is generally more tailored to mid-Eastern conditions. The first orchard I ever planted in the northeast was from trees from Starks. I ended up cutting down every tree I ordered from them because the varieties didn't do well here. Of course it is much easier to match varieties to regions now with all the info available but when you look at the pictures in a Stark Brothers catalogue and read the descriptions, it's pretty easy to pick the wrong trees.

andrelaplume2, You asked but no one yet responded: "those knotty looking areas in the trunk, whats that?" Are you referring to those oval openings in #3 or to those small clusters of green and pinkish stuff in #4? If to #3, as has been said, they're old wounds which the tree is covering over. If to #4, likely weed killer, probably Roundup or other glyphosate product. Wherein the tree is still alive (as you said: "I scratched a place or two and it was green underneath") but the new growth is severely stunted. Here's further info for the latter: 1. two pictures of damaged stone fruit tree http://ucfruitreport.uckac.edu/SF-NutrientDef_files/Zinc/Zn-Roundup.htm 2. Residual damage from Roundup http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/5-15-06.html Bottom line as I see it: If the problem is weed killer, the tree's survival will depend upon several factors , the time of year (stage of growth) and just how large a dose the tree received. For example, a man in my area accidentally sprayed roundup instead of a dormant spray on his dormant leafless pear tree; it took four years for normal growth to return. Here is a link that might be useful: Residual roundup damage

I'm not an expert but like astrl said you need to cut off the damaged portion. Cut it back till you get to healthy white tissue with latex seeping. Dust the cut end with a fungicide and allow it to dry. Some people recommend sealing the cut with latex caulk. Good luck. From the pic it looks like there's a good amount of healthy stem left.

if it had a disease.. it may have been a decade ago ... that branch needs to be pruned out ... but i cant go any further.. without a pic of the whole .. maybe its time for the whole thing to go... sometimes its easier.. to cut bait and run.. and plant a new ... young.. healthy tree .. rather than spending years trying to rehabilitate an old worn out tree ... one thing for sure.. i would NOT waste chemicals on it... for that branch i mean ... there is a very active fruit forum.. and you will get much more info ... as those peeps do things different to us ... link us over there.. if you do a post over there ... ken