Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1942

H/5/1942 - 1. Norwood May, 1942

Gracious, old Norwood was sweet in May, with a promise of even greater beauty to come. It is such a pleasure to gather together in the old homes with their time-honored surroundings, such as the classic box walk of Norwood

Mrs. Slade was unable to be present, so Cos, Helen Hallowell read her article about the delightful and obliging family of Poppies. A packet of mixed, annual seeds will bring many surprises. For use as cut flowers, seal stems with hot water or a flaming match. Old-timers and new were interested in Hobart Hutton's reading from the Senior Farmers' Club minute book, dated 4th mo. 6th, 1844. Fertilizer was just coming into widespread use. In 15 years, because of it crops had nearly doubled

Forthought advised cutting to the ground old, woody forsythia, to rejuvinate it. These teas can be grown in the garden,- mint tea, hot catnip, and wintergreen peppermint.

Lofton reported on the new idea of not pruning roses so far down.

Ass't Sec'y Lill Stabler read the list of exhibited flowers, rhubarb, asparagus, blossoming pea vines, etc., topped by Clermont's collection of 16 varieties of blooming shrubs. Their 1500 hot-house chicks have discouraged all but a few hens here and there.

The Horticultural considers the Community Council well worth having. Mr. Graham is president now.

A complete collection of dues was made from those present.

The president appointed a membership cpmmittee consisting of Helen Farquhar, Margaret Bancroft and Mr. Hurrey.

Mamie Stabler recommended Burpee's Permagreen and ammonium sulphate, for ailing grass. Someone remembered that Mr. Tom Harris used to manure around each hill to get the earliest limas. Lofton was advised to plant dahlias now, or a little later in May. It isn't often, commented Stella Moore, that we have picked roses and lilies-of-the-valley at the same time. Good treatment for garden and lawn, said Albert Stabler, is to dissolve South Carolina rock to get the acid phosphate; this plus manure is excellent.

We adjourned, and lingered over the farm view as seen from the lower garden.

H/6/1942 - 1. Clermont, June, 1942

Our President Robert Miller called together a good June meeting of the Horticultural Society at Clermont. Following the minutes, Helen Hollowell read from the practical chapter on Perennials, in The Woman's Hardy Garden, which gave information on saving the seed from the first crops of delphiniums, larkspur, hollyhocks, etc., and planting them in the seed bed as soon as they are dry. The old-fashioned hardy chrysanthemum should be divided in the spring, given sun and rich soil and pinched back until late summer.

Lofton Wesley's article on the pruning of spring-flowering shrubs made clear the necessity of pruning away now, and each year, from 1/4 to 1/3 of the canes. This results in a healthy shrub, full-flowering at the top, and most graceful in line.

The volunteer article on Greens, read by Richard Iddings, reminded us of the nutrition and vitamins all around us, to be had for the picking. Dandelion, peppergrass, wild lettuce, pokeweed, may be enjoyed to advantage if picked when young.

Gape in the flower borders, counseled Forethought, may be filled with perennial asters or chrysanthemums. Periodical turning of the compost pile makes for quicker decomposition. New strawberry plants will yield better if weeded and kept growing vigorously the first summer. A perennial not grown widely is Thermopsis caroliniana, a member of the pea family. It has spikes of bright yellow flowers & sturdy foliage on branching plants 4 feet tall.

Mary Reading Miller read the exhibit lists of Riverside, the Highlands, Tanglewood, Falling Green, the Cedars and Yardley. We were interested in the sample of celtuce from Sharon.

The community Council voted to stay in the Civic Feferation. It will meet regularly as usual.

The meteorologist was more encouraging. It rained 3.27", almost the May average.

A letter from Mariana Miller brought forth from the Horticultural members reassuring comments; a committee was named to carry these to her.

Clermont heads the poulty list. Falling Green has 12 turkeys.

If radishes are sown with carrots, as Clermont does, pulling up the former works the latter.

Before our delicious supper, we admired the charming sunken garden with its bleeding hearts and flax, and the lovely roses in the rose garden which includes plants from the Connard-PYle gardens.

H/7/1942-1Sharon July, 1942 Out on the lawn at "Sharon, surrounded by the magnificent trees, it hardly seemed possible that we were but in an oasis amidst a world in turmoil. Mr. Hurrey's readings were most appropriate first from an essay by Joseph Fort Newton who described how once Martin Luther came to debate carrying flowers. If we did the same, said Mr. Newton, there might be "more light and less lightning". Let us "mix faith with flowers". Mr. Hurrey's own poetic meditative essay on the love of nature, dwelt on nature's mild and healing sympathy.

Forethought's food for thought contained the following: beet seeds sown now will give tender young beets right up to frost. The same for carrots which can be used until the ground freezes. Practice shallow cultivation to conserve moisture and prevent disturbance of roots. Why don't more people raise the fragrant clethra bush?

Mary Reading Miller read of the exhibits, listing fine samples from the gardens at The Cedars, Falling Green, Edgewood, Mt.Airy, The Highlands, Yardley and Falling Green which brought 11 vegetables. It is refreshing to see products raised by the youngest generation among us.

The committee to visit larianna Miller said they had had a satisfactory talk with her, and that she was right about the Highlands being one family unit in the Society.

We learned with delight that upon a visit of our membership committee, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton accepted membership with us. They will be voted upon at the August meeting.

The increased rainfall is pleasing the meteorologist as well as the rest of us.

Mr. Slade reported that the Community Council is discussing the porposed busline.

In the question period it was brought out that Robert Miller always plants corn up to the 20th of July or first of August, harvesting this crop in about 1 year out of 3. He selects the variety Howling Mob for this last planting, as it

H/7/1942-2.

has a short stalk.

Lofton Wesley was gald that rhubarb may be cut all summer if desired.

Bordeaux Mixture is the best grape spray. Pinching off the long ends of the vines is recommended by some authorities.

Peas planted after the middle of April are a problematical crop.

After adjournment we admired Mrs. Slade's bright hemerocallis and Mr. Robison's wonderful vegetable garden, and then did justice to the abundant banquet.

During the meeting off in the distance we could see the 5 school boys and the 23 "outsider" boys who do farm work for 3 hours each day as part of their summer program. This was illustrative of how the Slades have merged the old life with the new, at "Sharon".

H/8/1942-1-

Picnic at The Cedars, August, 1942

The Horticultural Society accepted with alacrity Helen Farquhar's generous invitation to hold its August picnic at "The Cedars". So August 4th we gathered there on the cool porch.

The first reader was Elsa Thomas, who read from the Field and Stream Magazine. We can assume the Master Painter painted the fish to adorn the streams and the flowers to adorn the fields. We all feel the need at times to go off where they are and commune with nature.

Because the second reader, Mary Magruder, was still in quarantine, Lofton Wesley read an article on Trees for the Back Yard. Most yards benefit by a tree for shade and trees for background. Trees may be selected because of their height, shape, rate of growth, disease-resistence, and now, whether or not they are popular with the Japanese beetle. Cousin Allen Farquhar called our attention to the 100 year old seckle pear tree in the back yard here, and the 27 varieties on the extensive lawn of The Cedars.

Mary Stabler's Forethought began with helpful suggestions: plant endive at once for autumn and winter use. Phlox needs copius watering. The same for roses now, but no more feeding for the latter. Then she passed around 1/2 dozen samples of less well-known perennials and shrubs which lend color to the autumn garden. Of the shrubs, blue spirea has blossoms which appear in September and October. Plumbago, abelia, and other perennials were described.

As Assistant Secretary, Mary Reading Miller read the marvelous Tanglewood exhibit list of 18 vegetables and 4 kinds of fruits. Yardley and The Highlands raised their heads with 8 vegetables each, and Mt. Airy took a prize with its unusual rhubarb chard, mammoth butter-vine and potato pumpkin.

The Stanton family was unanimously voted into membership, and the secretary was asked to write them to that effect.

Richard Iddings reported on the95-53 1/2 variation of heat at Riverside, the rainfall there coming up almost to the average.