Horticultural Society

H/4/1991-1-

April 2, 1991, Eastlawn, page 1

It had been a clear windy day preceding our first 1991 meeting. The temperatures had been in the 50's and there was a frost and freeze warning on for the night. Despite those chilling auguries we met at the Mannings' for their first hosting of the Society. We shivered on their deck and shared visions for the oncoming gardening season then retreated to the house and a bountiful meal typical of what we had missed during preceding months.

Absent from the gathering were the Rogers, Caroline Hussman, Mary Seiler, and Tom Canby who was in the Middle East surveying the ecological ravages of our recent (murderous) involvement there. Our only guest for the evening was Mary Manning's mother, Bonny Sillers.

We started off the meeting with the October 1990 minutes and moved on to the reading of the By-Laws and realization that elections of Society officialdom was due. Since the standing president was absent, sick and supine we agreed to leave that chore for the next meeting.

Priscilla Allen was the assigned reader and shared passages from a personal anthology entitiled "My Garden in Baghdad". Among the charming vignettes and useful tidbits was an Islamic piece that said that God had put Man in the garden to dress and keep what grows there....one wonders who gets to do the other 90% of the workload involved with weeding, harvesting, peeling and canning. Later with a more occidental flavor we learned that pigeon manure is good while that of geese is pernicious. Also a haha is named such because in Britain one would take recognition of it and say a-ha! One wonders if lower class hahas were ever called blimeys. In the Arctic regions maybe they'd be called whoops! (because you seldom saw them until it was too late). In America they'd be called lawsuits.

Beth Bullard followed with an article by Barbara Cheney entitled "Garden Blights". It dealt with the frustrations of exhibiting one's garden to associates who avoid proper respect and awe in a creative myriad of infuriating and dispiriting ways.

Elizabeth Thornton followed with the minutes from a century ago. We were reminded that the best way to keep chickens from thieves is to lock both up separately.

Forethought involved the perennial situation of too much to do and too wet outside to do anything anyway. All the same it's a good time to plant trees and be sure to water new plantings if the weekly rainfall is under 1 inch. Plant

H/6/1991-1-

June 4, 1991, Rose Hill, page 1

We returned to Rose Hill, home of the Rogers, for our June meeting. Due to the energies and creativity of its denizens, Rose Hill remains ever more so an oasis of gentility and rooted beauty amidst suburbia's younger sprawl. We were missing the Ellers, the Bullards, the Hanels, Mary Manning, and Priscilla Allen. We were fortunate to have as guests Anne Jamison, Lisa Ritter, Mike Hyser, and Susan Canby's parents. Redge and Jenny Fifer. After a splendid repast we commenced the meeting with the reading of the previous meeting's minutes. They were corrected without too much bombast and recrimination and we progressed to the selected reader.

Tom Canby chose a National Geographic bulletin article about whitetail deer overpopulation in Catoctin National Park. This is the 4th year that the numbers of deer are at a level in the park that threaten starvation of their own species, damage to other lifeforms, and extinction of others. Since there is no hunting allowed the deer have no enemies and their population has increased unhindered to the dramatic detriment of all. It was a sobering, well-written article that made an undeniable case for thinning the population before further irreparable harm to the Catoctin area or any region similarly afflicted is incurred.

Ellis Manning followed with the reading of the hundred year old minutes. Worth repeating was the entry that sulpher applied to chickens kill insects...but also kills the chickens.

Harold Earp followed with a distilled version of the Extension Service Forethought Report. We are advised to not cut asparagus after late June. Where bagworms are a problem, pick them off and follow with a BT spray later on in the month. Plant gladiolas, dalias, and mums. Apple 510-5 fertilizer to roses after first crop of blossoms to guard against black spot. Also spray roses with a solution of 1 tablespoon powdered milk to a gallon of water for sticker. Where slugs are a nuisance, let them drown in beer. Stake your tomatoes if you want bigger, less numerous fruits - cage them if you want your crop smaller and more numerous. Cut, prune, and apply 5-10-5 to annuals. If your zinnias have powdery mildew pull them out and start again from seed. To protect fruit trees from coddling moth hang red painted spent lightbulbs coated with petroleum jelly. Don't forget to water, water, water and weed, weed, weed.

John Hartge gave us the Meteorologist Report we could've done without. It was the hottest May on record with a

H/7/1989-2.

The Membership Committee asked and received authorization to write to Ellis and Mary Manning inviting them to be members. The Canbys offered to invite the Brooks and Peter Ligon families to the next meeting.

Among the many Questions and Answers: Lesley Rogers was advised that laurel and copper beach leaves may be preserved by soaking for two weeks in a solution of half glycerine, half water. Mo Chance was told that Sevin was effective for Japanese beetles but also lethal to bees. Buzz Hussman, reflecting on the drive for freedom in Poland, asked if there was a peculiarly Polish plant. Potatoes for vodka was the only answer. Nancy Chance wondered what might be eating pepper leaves. Suggested culprits were slugs, and suggested remedies were an applicaion of wood ashes or encirclement of the plants by sand or diatomaceous earth. John Hartge's question on drip irrigation without water pressure resulted in an interesting discussion of water distribution systems.

Iduna Hanel passed out literature describing dogwood diseases, along with information that the dogwood blight, anthracose, has not arrived in the area according to county agents.

With warm thanks to Elie and Lesley Rogers for an excellent evening, the Society adjourned to meeting next at Jackpine.

H/10/1989-1-

Clifton, October 3, 1989: page 1

October 3, 1989, Clifton

We closed our 1989 season at Clifton, home of Jim and Beth Bullard. Everything was perfectly in order, elegant, comfortable, and steeped in warmth and hospitality. Although we were unfortunate to be missing the Canbys we welcomed to our ranks Sally Eller, Ellis and Mary Manning, and Sherry and Ted Fletcher. We also were pleased to have with us Henry and Esther Thornton, Mary Moore Miller, Sylvia Woodward, Martha Nesbitt, and Hans and Mariana Yorg Maur.

After luxuriating in pleasant company and a bountiful meal we repaired to the sitting room and began the meeting with the reading of the minutes which were thereafter nodded into history.

Mary Seiler, the selected reader, regained everyone's attention with an article about guano and its historic importance to Montgomery County's depleted agricultural base in the 1800's. Mary followed up with a N.Y. Times article about guano that reported on an upsurge in the its use, the various types available, comparative prices (25,000 year old North American bat is half the price of South American seabird) and the amazing effect it has on plants.

John Hartge followed with his father's vivid and harrowing account of being in the merciless bootstep of Hurricane Hugo a few weeks earlier on the island of Culebra.

The Forethought advised us on tasks geared toward wrapping up the growing season as well as preparing for next year.

The Meteorologist Report termed the preceding month's weather as interesting. We had had 6.68 inches of rain which put us ahead of the average rainfall to date by 10.25 inches. The coolest point had been 34 degrees on the 28 of September and the warmest had been 94 degrees on the 14th. Despite earwigs in his anemometer John noted that the peak gust was 28 mph on the 22nd and 23rd. Further mention was of a dash of frost at the Chances and at Clifton.

EXHIBITS A grand variety of seasonal items were passed around and admired.

The Bird Report was spare. Most notable comment was that it was a fit time to visit Hawk Mountain or Cape May to view the migrating birds.

There were no Committee Reports and no New Business.

Questions;

Mary Seiler inquired whether lily ponds should be heated. Perhaps not heated but the water should be circulated.