Horticultural Society

Avalon H/8/1880 -1Aug 5th 1880 The Society met at Avalon Aug. 3rd The Secretary being absent, Annie Brooke was appointed to fill the place The only absent members were those from Rock Spring, Riverside and Norwood. As guests, there were Mrs. Edward Stabler, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Vedder, Eliza Bentley, Miss Kate Stabler, The Misses Tyson, Miss Herris and Miss Smith. The Specimen table was well filled with flowers, fruits, and vegetables from Rockland cabbages, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, sweet and white, tomatoes, cymblings, okra carrots peppers & apples. From Longwood, cymblings eggplant tomatoes sweet potatoes, lima beans corn & pears. From Olney tomatoes, corn lima beans & cabbage. Hermon egg-plant & sweet potatoes. From Brooke Grove, corse lima beans, crab apples & grapes and our guests from Harewood brought grapes There were flowers from Falling Green Sharon Brooke Grove Longwood, Rockland, Fulford Olney & Hermon. After the reading of the minutes Sarah B. Farquhar, the first-reader, read an article on slugs. Mary M. Miller, the second reader being not prepared, was appointed with H. B. Brooke to read at our next meeting.

H/10/1948-2.

The Achesons , new members, were heartily welcomed.

The Harewood exhibit was a feast for the eyes, - such dahlias and zinnias, such broccoli, beet chard and egg plant. Lovely flowers were brought from Millwood and Edgewood, and a watermelon from Homestone!

The Membership Committee brought in the names of Edith and Henry Owings .. We were delighted and will vote upon them at the next meeting, in accordance with the by-laws.

Edward Iddings reported that September's average temperature was 16.1, the rainfall only 2.2". The Potomac River is 3 1/2 feet low.

There were questions and some answers, and more talk about the fascinating subjects, compost piles and the use of commercial fertilizer on the compost in the form of chemicals, and in the garden.

Cornelia Miller told of the coming Sherwood Community Fair, whereupon the Horticultural voted to give the Fair committee ten dollars, to be taken by Cornelia.

After adjournment members enjoyed the usual gastro-hortico feast in the Alloway basement recreation room.

IW sec

H/4/1953 -1-

1952 ---1953

PRESIDENT ***** **** JACK BENTLY VICE PRESIDENT ***** **** LOFTON WESLEY SECRETARY - TREASURES **** SYLVIA WOODWARD FORETHOUGHT READED **** REBECCA SMALL METEOROLOGIST ***** **** EDWARD IDDINGS MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE **** ELIZABETH LIGON HELEN FARQUHAR ROBERT MILLER COMMITTEE TO PLAN PLACES OF MEETING **** ELIZABETH LIGON M.R. MILLER SYLVIA WOODWARD

PLACE OF MEETING FOR 1953 APRIL TANGLEWOOD MAY CLERMONT JUNE LITTLE HOUSE JULY HAREWOOD AUGUST THE PORCHES SEPTEMBER HICKORY RIDGE OCTOBER ROSLYN

H/6/1953 -2.

Douglas got plenty of sympathy: all beetles are worse this summer.

There were several claimants for Helen's pretty tray left at the Huttons' last time.

Arsenic of lead worked into the ground will get rid of iris borer.

If peonies are separated when moved, don't expect them to bloom for a couple of years.

We were most interested in hearing about the pair of rare pileated woodpeckers observed at Tanglewood.

Questions were raised and some information given concerning the elusive water table. The subject was too deep for most of us.

Honeysuckle may be killed by strong spray, but that may at the same time poison the ground for some plantings such as azaleas.

Sherwood School welcomes contributions of shade trees and ornamental planting.

Our contribution of last fall was given Jack Bentley for his Museum Committee. The museum idea is a 'must' for this historic neighborhood, and we heartily support Jack and others in this timely effort.

Ruth Havens and Grace Thomas were appointed readers for the July meeting at Harewood.

Jack has Savoy cabbage plants to give away.

The meeting reluctantly adjourned.

IW sec pro tem

H/7/1953 -1-

Harewood - July 7, 1953

Charming old "Harewood", with the Achesons as our hosts, made the July meeting of the Society a most interesting one as many of our members had childhood memories of it when it was the post office and home of their Uncle Edward Stabler. The garden was breathtakingly beautiful with not a weed in sight - and the swimming pool in its beautiful woodland setting made us wish to linger there but as meetings must go on we all gathered on the lawn in congenial groups for our supper after which Jack Bentley called the meeting to order and the June minutes were read and approved.

Francis Thomas read for Grace several gleanings from "The Consumers Research", - one on the now popular Food Freezer plan which they do not feel to be economical and another about the miraculous? fertilizer, RX15 which several members had sent for. They agreed with the Federal Trade Commission that it should be taken off the market. Francis also read some tips on tomatoes - one, that it has been proved that the total yeild is the same from the vines whether they are staked or not - another tip was to remove side shoots and thin the fruit to three in a cluster.

Ruth Havens read a chapter called "Midwinter Madness" from a charming book by Beverly Nichols called "Down the Garden Path". Mr. Nichols described what he called "making the garden tour" and told of the joys of giving detailed attention to each bush and shrub on his tour of inspection. The author's determination one dark cold winter day to have flowers in his garden in winter, made him hunt through seed catalogues to find plants that would grow in the winter. He made his dream come true by planting winter aconite which made a dazzling buttercup field in January, winter heather, for pink bloom and heliotrophe, blue and fragrant along with winter honeysuckle, jasmine and crocus. It made us all make mental notes for our own winter gardens.

Jessie McReynolds read exerpts from a letter from her son in California who told of raising ducks to eat the snails that infested his lemon groves.

Rebecca Small gave her forethought report, telling us to cut off bachelor buttons so they would continue blooming; prune climbing roses, remove peony seed pods, and set out broccoli and cabbage plants.