Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1871-1880

11/8/1871 - 1 HERMON VII Mo XXIVTH 1871 A very pleasant meeting of nearly all the members and a few guests assembled. Beautiful flowers were brought from Rockland Springsdale Longwood and Brooks Grove and Grapbes from R. R. Broom Questions. 1. What is the best time to plant Black berry plants? Spring is considered best an open spell in February is good. 2. Can Gilly flowers be left out all winter? No they will not stand the winter but sometimes bloom delightfully if brought into the house. 3. Can anything be done to keep Sekel pears from falling off before they ripen? No, nothing. 4. What is the best time to plant straw berry plants, and what kind? Many prefer the Spring, others like August and some like a rainy season in the fall. The Wilson's Albany is the favorite. 5. Who has weighed the trophy tomato? D. A. Lea had one which weighed 1 lb 9 oz. M.B. Magruder, one weighing 1 lb 12 oz and one of our neighbors had 15 tomatoes weighing sixteen pounds.

Our walk was unusually interesting, the vegetables were fine and one very noticeable was cabbage

11/8/1871 - 2. which had been cut off early in the season for the table and the stalks left growing some of which had four and others five heads, each one as large as the original one had been. The flowers were beautiful and the display of Fuschia's and plants of ornamental foliage and geraniums was splendid. The Fuschias in particular have never been equalled in the neighborhood. The rest of the evening was taken up with discussions concerning the coming exhibition, which we hope will not be failure, the dry weather making us feel anxious

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OLNEY

IXth Mo XXVIII

1871

"We met; 'Twas in a crowd" or in other words nearly all the members and some guests were present and we had a most pleasant and interesting meeting Horticulturally and Socially. Though we have had severeal severe frosts out table of bouquets was splendid, bril liant was it, that one of our guests as she came into the steps were they were displayed on the porch exclaimed "Grandiflora"!

There were three bouquets from Brooke Grove, two from Sharon one from Riverton one from Falling Green [composed?] of beauti ful double portulaceas scarlet, white yellow crimson, one from [Hernon?] one from Avalon and a small one from Riverside composed of violets as sweet as if the month was May instead of September.

Questions

1 How should the Marshal Neal Rose be treated during the winter? If a very young bush it should be kept in the house. If old enough to leave out it should be laid down on grass sod and covered with straw or cedar boughs. One member who has tried it with success suggests setting a chicken coop over tender rose

buses and putting forest leave in it. The coop keeps the leaves from being blown away and at the same time admits plenty of fresh air. Half-hardy plants are often injured by too much covering.

2 What is the best way to fix asparagus beds for winter? Cut off the tops after they be come yellow and cover with manure.

3 How long must we keep hilling up celery? As long as it continues to grow.

4 What is the most successful way of keeping Sweet potatoes during winter? In barrels in the kitchen or the room over the Kitchen if they will not freeze there. It is quite a dis puted question among the potato grow ers near Philadelphia whether to clean them from the earth or put them into barrels without washing. It is considered best in some of the New Jersey plantations to barrel them in the feild so that they may not be bruised by much handling

5 What is the best mothod of keeping verbe nas during winter? It is recommended to try a cold frame but let it be well drained. Some of the members propose covering them where they are growing.

6 Has any one tried burying apples? Yes, they were put in a row on top of the ground, covered with straw or leaves and then with earth and they kept well.

7 Is it too late to plant Kale? No it will still grow

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until the ground freezes.

8. Is it too late to plant strawberry beds? It will be worth while to try it as some have succeeded even in November.

9 What is the best way of keeping Gerani ums through the winter Pick all the leaves and blossoms off shake the earth from the roots and hang it in a dark cellar where they will not freeze, or plant in a box and put in a cellar. If a light cellar water slightly if dark, do not water and do not let them freeze.

On our walk we found the garden in beautiful order, flowers flowering beautifully. Strawberry plants in nice clean straight rows. Turnips and other vegetables looking well.

As our meetings sometimes clash with the two "Clubs" Sen. and Jr. and the "Home Interests" it was put to vote whether it would not be well to change it. After much discussion, the first third day in each month was decided on unanimously, and the secretary requested to give notice to all the members before the first meeting in the spring.