Horticultural Society

H/4/1988 -2 -

Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth. Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to earth, he does to himself.

The second article was titled "Wild West of the East". It detailed the Panther Knob preservation effort. This area of West Virginia has sustained great ecological setbacks the most serious being a deforestation rampage that ran unchecked from 1870 to 1920. At the close only 200 acres remained somewhat unscathed. In the decades since there have been admirable strides made in proteacting the forests's rebirth and ecouraging the reinstatement of previously eliminated or endangered species such as the snowshoe hare, the fisher, and the flying squrrel.

As volunteer article, Buzz Hussman paraphrased one from Harvard Magazine regarding the activities of Peter Hogarty, a Maine citizen who is processing and marketing wool made from a blend of Soviet and American fleece. It comes in 3 colors, gray, gray, and gray and takes 8 months of very red tape to get to market. Seriously, Mr. Hagerty calls it Peace Fleece and sees it as a gesture of fellowship and staying with the Hussmans during his attendance at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

Ellen Hartge had an article that detailed a potion made from blending orange peels with boiling water and pouring the infusion over ant colonies that one wishes eliminated.

Elizabeth Thornton had an article from Old Wives` Lore for Gardeners entitled "Sartorial". Therein was advice to test the soil for tilling and planting in various stages of undress. There was a degree of timeless common sense in the suggestions but in the 16th or 18th century it must have been less likely for a gradener's neighbors to suggest straitjackets as more appropriate attire for those inclined to test the soil with unadorned areas of one's anatomy.

Iduna Hanel gave the forethought which she admitted was more of an afterthought because most of the things to do should have already been done by now.

Everything outght to be cleaned - the lawn, the woods, the flower bed and the garden. The roses should be fertilized. Trees and shrubs should be planted and transplanted. Those already in should already be pruned, cleaned and fertilized. Seedings inside should be hardened outside before planting. Houseplants should be taken outside but, of course, brought in if there's a threat of frost. Remove mulch from strawberries. Hot or cold frames should be in full use.

H/4/1988-4-

There was no new business. The question was raised as to whether there should a specific meeting marked to celebrate our 125th season. The notion was avoided and in place, we agreed to meet at 7:00 at the next meeting to take a group picture.

QUESTIONS

Ari Preuss mentioned that during a trip to South Carolina he stayed 1/2 mile from the Angel Oak ( located on St. John's Island near Charleston) - a 1,400 to 1,600 year old tree reputed to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi.

Nancy Preuss needs a pet cage for their eventually large dog that they will be voyaging with.

Caroline Hussman has seen metal strips around trees in town. They were identified as sticky tape devise for battling gypay moth caterpillars.

Buzz Hussman has wood chips for the taking.

John Hartge questioned the identity of a beetle 1/2 the size of a ladybug with one black spot on each wing.

Mary Seiler asked about Polonia trees. One camp discounted the species as a big weed and another expounded on the value, aesthetics, and delicacy of raising the tree for fun and profit

Priscilla Allen asked how far back to cut pussy willows - 6 inches will do. Also plant blueberries high or low. High is preferable - Maine is a good state to start.

Flora Goff brought on a discussion of vermiliads or air plants. The gist was that they do very well with minimal care and feeding .

Tom Farquhar brought a stunted tomato seedling - 1 of 60 that he had planted in cardboard egg cartons. He also had many pepper seedlings in a similar lamentable state. Chemicals in the cardboard were blamed and it was recommended that plastic egg cartons work better because they can be disinfected with bleach solution and used over and over again.

WHat to do about the vole holes? Just a few of the approaches included noise makers cats, moth balls and placing plants within hardware cloth.

Peter Conlon inquired after locally available pines. Recommended was Meadows Farms, formerly Cheap Eddie's, across from the Red Door Country Store on Norwood Road.

H/5/1988-3-

Esther Thornton thanked us for weather so warm and lovely compared to her homes area's that was still relatively cold, dank, and inhospitable. Mo Chance fresh from recent Redundancy Committee readings informed us that in 1897 the minutes first mention Gypsy Moths. In 1897 Gypsy moths were spotted in the Dakotas. In 1897 tea roses were first mentioned. In 1899 the Poultry Report hit a high with a chicken population of 3500 birds. Old minutes also recommended gashouse lime for ant control and hanging bags of salt on plum trees to ward off pests. Buzz Hussman followed with a reminder of the Sheep & Wool Festival during the upcoming weekend. Robin Johnsen who lives quite close to the road near the teacherous curve 1/4 mile south of Brighton 650 asked what plantings are best as noise barriers. She was advised to plant broadleaf evergreens near the road and transplant her house near Montana. Wendy Lawrence brought forth an approach to poisn ivy afflictions that involves running water as hot as one can possibly stand over affected areas in the morning and at night.

There was no new business.

The Redundancy Committee reported forging ahead at its leviathan task with a little less speed because of the season's more pressing and strident demands outside in the garden.

Steve Harcy was mentioned as a possible guest. Mr. Harcy is a member of the Central Maryland Audubon Society and otherwise runs a small perennial nursery in Mount Airy. He has a 20 minute slide show on perennials that might be of interest to the Society. We agreed to contemplate inviting him to a meeting.

Due to the lateness of the hour we conveniently defeathered the Bird Report and in short order brought the meeting to a close after agreeing to meet next at Roslyn on June 7th when Peter Conlon would be the reader. The Secretary/Treasurer and his wife thanked the gathering for their attendance. Striking a relaxed and elegant pose, they humbly accepted excessive praise for their immaculate house and the ground that approached graceful perfection. Adieu, adieu and the day wound down to a sublime conclusion.

H/6/1988-3-

While relaxing in the calm before the evening's meal, a group of us sighted a piliated woodpecker flying across the Hussman's field. Lydia Haviland reported hearing an owl late one night unusually close to her house. Harking back to the minutes of a century ago, Caroline Hussman drew attention to the doom & gloom regarding the overwhelming threat that english sparrows represented in regards to our more valuable birds. One hundred years later we still have plenty of lovely and virtuous avian friends despite the profusion of vile, pushy, prolific, feathered vermin such as starlings and English sparrows. Ellen Hartge reports a Baltimore Oriole nest near her house. Also mentioned was the ballpark orioles going a full 14 innings the night before thus setting some sort of endurance record as well as accomplishing a rare win.

The redundancy committee reports 27 complete years of Society minutes coded into the participants computers.

QUESTIONS Edwina Earp has 2 patches of Dutch iris. Both are 2 years old but one patch has flowered nicely but the other with normal foliage had flowers that rotted and otherwise failed. No impassioned advice was forthcoming but it was suggested that she sprinkle the patches with lime and sulfa dust. In the dormant season maybe dig up the patch and roll the roots in the same powder before replanting. Harold Earp has asparagus beetles in his asparagus patch. Two solutions were offered: chickens and sevin. Tom Farguhar needs blue bird houses. Advised to call Francis Eylers. He also lamented his strawberries who have problems with birds, beetles, and mold. Advised to put in more plants and hope for good weather. On an iris question he was advised to trim the flowers but not too far back. Mary Seller complains that house finches have taken over feeders meant for goldfinches. What to do short of armed defense. Recommended that she tape up the holes above the perches - house finches wouldn't like the arrangement but goldfinshes can eat upside-down and thuse would be undeterred. Lydia Haviland drew our attention to a Christmas cactus she has that blooms year round. Other Society members mentioned Christmas cactuses the've know that behave in similar fashion. Buzz mentioned the Sheep and Wool Festival and the success it was. He drew attention to Peter Hagerty of the Peace Fleece endeavor. Your humble secretary met this individual and found him to be personable, bright, on the idealistic side but with unimpeachable motivations regarding relations between the Soviet Union and the United States.. Caroline Hussman has tiny mites in her herb patch. Advised to cut and burn afflicted plants in hopes that new growth with spring forth free of mites.

H/7/1988/-1-

July 5, 1988: page 1

Our July metting (#871) took place at the home and grounds of Nancy and Mo Chance. Despite the deplorable deficit of rain that the preceding month had inflicted us with, the Chance's horticultural efforts were flourishing nonetheless. In addition there were interesting assemblages that could've been mistaken for a great many things but were in fact contraptions to help the Chance's mountaineer son Peter climb the unscalable and traverse the uncrossable.

Unfortunate to be missing (especially since we finally got around to taking a few group photos) were the Goffs, the Bullards, and the Conlons. The guests were John and Lea Paul of the local pick-your-own garden goods emporium, Paul's Patch. Susan Canby took the gavel in the absence of Beth Bullard.

Rudi Hanel had an article to share with us but the extended heat and drought inspired him to talk instead on the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is caused by the growing concentrations of man-made gases in the atmosphere. While we are dependent on the atmosphere's's ability to retain heat, gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons do too good of a job and tend to shutter in heat.

There are severe long range consequences to the sun's heat not being able to reflect and otherwise escape back into space. The warmer troposphere in turn melts the ice and snow cover and thus helps the effected area absorb the sun's heat rather than reflect it. Melting of the polar ice caps leads to higher sea level. This threatens the shoreline areas of the globe where half the earth's population lives. An expanded ocean area would also increase evaporation and drastically change weather patterns. This changes the river, reservoir and drainage systems of the planet and would thereby dramatically alter the future topographical nature of the planet.

It's a pretty grim scenario to envisage. What's especially grim is the nature of man and their governing bodies. We are presently experiencing the prelude to the greenhouse effect's eventual disastrous consequences. Scientists and theoreticians are kind when they say that we still have time to stall the greenhouse effect by cutting our reliance on petrochemicals and ending man's destruction of the globe's rain forests. It is encouraging that there is still hope. It is Earth's sad moan that humankind is slow to swallow any bitter pill that looks beyond self-indulgence towards the salvation of future generations and the planet itself.

Our gathering with great relief greeted an article volunteered by Buzz Hussman about a relatively sublime and up-lifting subject - Gypsy Moths. The article came from Harrowsmith Magazine (Nov.-Dec., 1986 issue) and detailed a sure-fire way to control gypsy moths. The process involves irradiating adult moths and allowing them to mate. The resulting egg masses produce sterile offspring that when released into the wild mature and mate with fertile gypsy moths. The resulting dud eggmasses would over a number of years severely cut into the foul moth's strangehold on our hardwoods. The system has some bugs in it but has been used successfully in Florida to control fruit flies. The expense involved matches $5,000 of the irradiated moth technique with similar results from insecticides costing $160,000.