Club Minutes: The Home Interest Society, 1877-1885

good ground & treat as cabbage. 6th. What is the proper food for young turkeys? Curd Corn dough, containing grease, pepper, onion tops etc.

7th. How to make a trellis? for Tomato vines? Referred to Fred Stabler. 8th Do tomatoes have as well trained on trellis? Yes. 9th Does it pay to raise sweet potatoes? For family use no, for kitchen table - Yes.

Some thought they would not do well planted in the same ground year after year, while others said it did not affect the quality or quantity of the yield.

After some discussion it was decided to sell last year's Club books, which sold for about 1/3 their cost.

We had a number of guests to fill vacancies made by absent numbers. The same readers, W^m W Moore & Albina O' Stabler were continued for next month. Then adjourned to meet at Lucknow June 16th 1877. Albina O'Stabler, Sec pro tem.

77th Meeting

The "H I" met at Lucknow agruable to adjournment June 16th 1877. A very large gathering, 15 members & as many guests being present. Owing to the tardiness of the Sec & other causes, is organized one later than usual, commencing business about 6 o'c B H Miller foreman.

The display of flowers was unusually brilliant, those from Magnolia & Herman were especially fine in variety & rich in coloring, beside some choice specimens from other places.

Some very early snap beans from Tanglewood, & one large beet from Plainfield were all the vegetables displayed. Can it be that from all the gardens there represented these two were the only sample worthy to be exhibited. If so it is rather a sad commentary upon both HomeInt & Horticultural

After reading the minutes of last year, the gentlemen went to look around. The ladies being compelled by recent showers to do their inspecting by proxy.

The report we give at 2nd hand says that the garden & all things else, are growing & prosperous, & a tour made by all hands after tea to the big barn & dairy would seem to corroborate the statement. From the Piazza where we sat, we could admire the beautiful lawn also an arbor vitai hedge, just started to exclude the back views, & the stump arrangement for flowers

The thrifty row of cherry trees from house to fruke was very interesting, & the thought suggested itself, "might not others benefit themselves & the travelling [? ] as well, by substituting along the roads & fences, fruit baring trees, instead of cedars & other popular shade trees.

A call to supper was heeded with the usual alacrity, & having given our undivided attention to this interesting feature of the "H I", after a time we again settled ourselves in the Ample porch to consider the following questions & answers. An article on soap contributed by M B Thomas, with the hope expressed, that the subject might be decently & finally interred, was read.

What the two best varieties of Strawberries? The result of the vote taken, was 9 in favor of Wilson, 5 Monach of the West 4 for Col Chaney, 4 for Chas downing, & 1 for Jacinda.

Should liquid manure be applied to roses? No, except soap suds. Mulch young roses with stone or inverted sod.

Was the Baltimore yeast a success? Yes, decidedly & straightway 7 names were subscribed to send for more. What is the dwarf white wax? A prolific string bean.

What will exclude moths? The subject was fully discussed & all the known preventions, such as camphor, pepper, snuff, tobacco, cedar &c were enumerated, but all had been tried with ill success by the unfortunate questioner.

Who has had experience in trimming tomato vines? No Answer. What ails A Hartshorne's cabbage plants? For crowded, hot air, close damp weather. Who takes two days each year to cut pea sticks? A very unnecessary waste of time; if proper pains be taken in cutting & caring for them. If sheltered when not in use they will last for several years.

Who has had potatoes? Kate Thomas. When to plant Cucumbers for pickels? From the middle to last of July.

Right time to plant Drum head savoy cabbage. After harvest

No time being allowed for reading, the same readers were continued & we adjourned to meet at Magnolia July 17th 1877.

78th Meeting

The meeting at Magnolia July 17th 1877 was unusually small. Nearly one half of our members were absent, which perhaps was owing to their not having exhausted the labor, & overcome the fatigue of harvest. As guests we had, EP Thomas & Wife, W^m Lea & wife, Sam^l Steer, Hannah B Slabler & Mrs.Berth; & we did not bigin business any earlier than has been our want for some time. Beulah Thomas bought a box of very fine Kitatinny Blackberries, & Pattie Slabler a pretty boquet, & the first ripe tomatoes we had seen; their tomatoes have an enemy, a greenish, brownish worm, which eats into the fruit causing is it to decay; a sample of which was exhibited, busy at its work of destruction. We were called to order by B H Miller foreman, & the minutes of last year read. Then we inspected the gardens; there were not as many fine roses in bloom as we have before seen at this place, but the plants showed a vigorous growth, which care unaided by bone dust cannot give

We noticed too in this beautiful enclosure, many of the old time flowers, such as were so loved & tended by our mothers, but which have long since vanished from our gardens & been supplanted by other & tenderer plants.

The vegetable garden gave promise of better things than when last we visited it. The celery plants were uncommonly fine & healthy looking. On the north side of the house a great improvement had been made, with a lattice screen & a stump arrangement, for propagating cuttings or keeping

plants that do not like the sun, was already very attractive. The lawn in front of this homestead, is every year increasing in beauty, & when we farmers adjust the rule of mowing our grass at least every two weeks, we may then expect to have a velvety sod.

Having enjoyed supper we assembled in the parlor & when we had read the minutes of last meeting, we had a little talk about yeast; & the Sec was directed to forward the address of the Baltimore yeast man to W H Brooke with the request that he would bring to their house ready for the next "H I" the quantity subscribed for at a previous meeting.

Yeast made without flour, will keep sweet almost any length of time; not necessary to keep it on ice, as any cool place will answer. What ails Albina Stabler's rose-bush, the leaves are black spotted and drop off? Mildew; cut off as soon as it appears or the bush will die. What to do with onion sets? Gather when the tops are dead, & spread on the floor to dry. Freezing will not injure them. Do wire doors & windows pay? Except two dissenting voices all present advocated them, & all those who had tried them spoke enthusiastically in their favor. Should clover sod be top dressed with lime now, or wait until it is plowed? One advises leaving it until plowed. Is it too late to plant onion seed for sets? Try it, they may come up. Where can we get Celery plants? Don't know. Who is going to plant Celery? The majority. No readers prepared & the chip box empty

P R Slabler & W S Bond readers for next time

Adjourned to meet at Walter H Brooke's Aug 11th 1877.