Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1863-1871

H/4/1863-2. H/5/1863-13

On coming into the house an article on "planting trees" sent by T. P. Stabler was read and the following questions were asked.

Q. Will corn bear well if lanted in one long row? A. It would not do so well. Q. Was it best to have the soil for lima beans rich or poor? A. Poor. Q. What is the method for raising broccoli? A. As cabbage. Q. How to get rid of moles? A. Unknown.

Henry Miller reported during the month 267 hen eggs, 8 ducks and 27 turkey eggs, Young chickens 20. HC. Hallowell 23 young chickens, D. A. Lea 40. S. B. Farquhar 2. Ellen Farquhar 9.

Adjourned to meet at the Cedars.

Cedars.

May 23d 1863.

Met at the Cedars, present most of the members and some guests. Owing to the heat of the weather the examination of the garden was postponed until the asking of questions.

Questions.

Q. How to make soil light - ? A. Throw it up in ridges in the fall and manure

4 H/5/1863 - 2.

with ashes, and earth from the wood-pile. Q. Should tomatoes be planten in hills? A. It was thought not. Q. How to raise Sweet potatoes? A. It was decided by the majority that it did not pay to raise them. About the Chinese Yam we only learned that they grew at a great depth. Q. Should the garden be cultivated with a plow & A. It was approved, as a Saving of labor. Q. How destroy bugs on vines? A. Kerosine Snuff and quicklime were recommended but the only effectual method was to kill the bug. Q. What is the best mode of fixing tomato vines? A. Cover the ground with straw and let the vines alone. Q. How should tomato vines be planted? A. Pour water on the roots and earth as you plant and if the stem is long, cover first of it with earth. Q. Should gooseberry and currant bushes be trimed? A. They should. Q. That should be done for the gapes in chickens? A. Asafoetida, onion tops, and black-pepper, were recommended. Q. How deep should lima-beans be planted? A. Very shallow. Q. Should seed be planted in dry weather? A. Yes as they will be in the ground ready to grow.

The garden was examined; then adjourned to meet at Sharon.

June 27th Met at Sharon, owing to the weather, there was not a full attenance of members. the garden was found to be in fine condition, particularly the part devoted to the melon vines. It was thought by some that many things were too near together.

Questions. Is it too late to plant soup beans? A. I was thought that it might be worth while to try. Q. How to make rose bushes a fine shape? A. Trim them back. Q. Was it too late to plant potatoes? A. No.

Falling Green July 25th The Society met at Falling Green, most of the members present. After the usual delay caused by want of punctuality in some of the members the meeting was organized by the appointment of Frances Miller as foreman and the following questions were asked and answered. Q. What shall be done with lima bean vines that look badly? A. Watering with soap suds was recommended by one, another proposed digging in manure, but it was generally thought best to let them alone as the yellow appearance complained of was probably brought on by wet weather.

Q. What should be done for tomato vines that are large but don't bear well? A. They should be cut back. Q. Should turnips be manured? A. They should but ashes should be used in preference to stable-manure. Q. Will it do to plant turnips where sugar-corn now is? A. The best time for planting is from the first to the tenth of August. The corn would probably be gone by that time. Q. Should melon vines be weeded now? A. Not if it breaks the vines to do so or disturbs the roots. The weeds should be cut off or smothered by mulching. Q. Was it too lat to set ou cabbage? A. Later than was thought best, but it might be worth while to try.

We then looked at the garden which was foun to be in excellent order. The celery excited general admiration. Corn and tomatoes were fit to [new.], beans and [cymlings] looked well as did the strawberry bed. The currant bushes received special attentions from some as the fruit had not been gathers. After an excellent supper adjourned to Rockland.

Rockland August 29th

Met at Rockland. The attendance of members was very small owing to a misunderstanding regarding the places and time of meeting, but there were several guests present. After some general conversation it was proposed to inspect the garden and our host, with much apparent reluctance, led the way to it. It was not in so prosperous a condition as we has some times seen it, for which many good reasons were assigned. The cantelopes looked fine but did not justify their appearance it was said. The dairy, which we examined incidentally, was in fine condition.

The questions, owing to the scarcity of members, were few. Among them were the following Q. Was it then too late to sow turnips? A. They might do well if the season should prove favorable. Q. What was the cause of failure in the cantelopes we had seen? A. The seed and the clay in the soil were both assigned as reasons. Q. What was the best time to transplant the Lawton blackberry? A. The Fall was generally preferred.

Adjourned to meet at Stanmore.