Horticultural Society

H/6/1988-1-

June 7th, Roslyn page 1

A warm day preceded our meeting at Roslyn, home of the Hussmans. The trees, garden and grounds were well into the principle of flourishing growth and the house radiated a welcoming spirit of comfort and familiarity. Unfortunate to be missing were the Bullards, the Chances, the Allens, and Elizabeth Thornton. There were not guests per se but we enjoyed the presence of Nell Johnsen, Helen Farquhar, and Hannah Conlon.

After an abundant and delicious meal, Peter Conlon began the meeting with an article about spiders from the Journal of New York State's Department of Enviomental Conservation. It was entitled "Spiders - Assasins with Silky Snares". The article written by James H. Moerschel, told of his fascination with spiders and his appreciation of their webspinning capabilities.

The article said that there are about 30,000 species of spiders in the world and about 650 species in the New England area alone. Mr. Moerschel was more interested in types of spiders that spin webs and make the most of their silk. An interesting point is that the spider makes a new web each day and it takes an average of 20 minutes. He failed to mention that spiders like bats are diminutive and efficient allies in the gardener's war to control insect populations. A Dr. Bristowe of early 20th Century Britian estimated that British spiders consume enough insects a year to outweigh the entire British human population.

There was no volunteer article.

Due to Elizabeth Thornton's inexusable absence , John Hartge read the minutes from 100 years ago. Appropriately enough that meeting was at Riverside. The exhibits at that meeting included a dizzying array of vegetables and withering number of poultry and ducks. The enduring question emerged whether or not the English Sparrow has any friends. Apparently the president of the Society at that time had turned against the species and such negative influence had left the poor bird in widespread low regard. A contingent of Society members arrived late due to their earlier attendance at a neighboring wedding - it was not noted who was wed.

The forethought was simpler than usual because everything should be growing, harvested, and replanted. A few specific reminders included removing flowers from plants after full bloom. Pinch and feed mums. Prune and feed primroses. Pansies should be cut back in mid or late June for Fall bloom. Berries should be mulched and plan to rotate strawberries after 3 years.

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.

H/8/1988-2-

August 2, 1988; page 2

organized his talk chronologically starting with August blooming perennials. He was enthusiastic and descriptive. Those of us not involved with perennials were given a good primer and the more knowlegdable no doubt gained fresh insights. We appreciate the Bullards for arranging Mr. Harcy's visit and presentation.

Elizabeth Thornton read the minutes from 100 years ago. The place was Herman where it had been 95 degrees in the shade and 125 degrees in the sun. At that meeting the minutes had to be read by lamplight because a storm had blown through and driven the gathering indoors. An addition to the continuing saga of grape bagging indicates that bagging does not save ripe clusters from rotting.

Forethought advised us to fertilize Mums. Trim back pot plants, house plants, and plant cuttings. Start potting (tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, for example) in preparation for the end of the outdoor growing season. Harvest and can. Seed and plant. Water. Provide shade for transplants Check your 3 year rotation schedule in preparation for next spring garden layout.

Meteorological Report suffered from the absense of our weather watcher. It was agreed that the month had been hot, nasty, and dry. At National Airport the average temperature for the first 30 days of July was 92.3 degrees. Rainfall was normal for the month but very spotty and vicious at times. It was a month most were glad to see gone.

Exhibits Lydia brought broccoli, tomatoes, and geraniums. The Hanels brought a 14 inch cucumber that grew while they were away for vacation. Jackpine brought a mixed basket of produce. From Clifton came Clethra Alnifolia (sweet pepper bush), German statice, daylilies, Butterfly bush, calendula, and oregano. Riverside brought Lord Baltimore hibiscus, a Primadonna rose, daylilies, cuccumbers, an eggplant, tomatoe, and a jalepeno pepper. Quailhill presented a Bonica rose and ruffled basil. From the Cedars came corn, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, and a sweet potato. The Chances brought rudbeckia, salvia, Pinwheel Salmon geranium, daylilies, peppers, and tomatoes.

There was no Bird Report, Committee report, or New Business.

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/6/1991-2-

June 4, 1991, Rose Hill, page 2

lamentable shortfall of rain. We had a 9 day heatwave and usually May's average over 90 degree days number 2. We had 1 1/2" rain and last year we had 5.2. In addition to the heat and aridity, we also had a tornado watch during which green clouds were sighted. Our high temperatures fell on the 25th and 26th when it was 92 degrees. The cool spot was on the 8th when it was 39. Fears of global warming were allayed a bit when it was brought up that other regions were experiencing lower temperatures. The Mid-Atlantic region and Siberia were reporting high temperatures and low rainfalls.

Exhibits

Outstanding amongst the exhibits were an adobe brick that Lydia Haviland brought back from a visit to New Mexico. In light of the brick and Lydia's equally weighty explanation, all other offerings were overshadowed.

The Bird Report included a piliated woodpecker nest at Quailhill. Ted Fletcher has a robin's nest near a window at Pi Acres. He asked how long it was between hatching time and when the fledglings were kicked out of the nest. No one knew so Ted was asked to report back. A postscript notes that Ted watched the nest for 2 weeks at which time a cat concluded the observation. It was added that nestling survival rates is less than 25%. The Bullards are at Dolly Sods on an analytical field trip during which they study and chart bird populations by listing and studying bird songs as opposed to actual sightings.

The Bee Report indicated the continuation of a good season.

Committee Reports focussed on the microfilming effort which aims to get under full swing during the 3rd week in June. Need for prepatory work requires 5 people who volunteered without too much cajolling and threats.

There was no New Business so we went on to Questions. Sherry Fletcher has a 15 foot stewardia and it's the plant's 1st year for blossoms which stay on one day and drop off. Acknowledged as a slow grower perhaps the heat and dryness is to be blamed for the blossom's short tenure.

A report back report came up regarding the Mantis brand of mini cultivator. Although small and cheap looking it is said to work well and yield satisfying results.

Mary Seiler referred to Tom Canby's article on deer overpopulation and was thus inclined to rethink her