Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1965

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totalling 2.28 inches or 22.51 inches for the year to date, well below the normal total. Highest temperature of of 90^o occurred twice, on the 9th and the 25th, making an average high of 83^o. The low of 52^o was on the 21st, making an average low of 64^o and the mean temperature for the month was 73^o.

Our Assistant Secretary, Grace Thomas read the list of exhibits. From Mount Pleasant came the "abundance" of Plums and Helen Bentley brought assorted Zinnias. Douglas and Helen Farquhar brought blackberries, corn, 3 kinds of squash, 3 kinds of lettuce, apples, pears, parsley, tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes, okra, lima beans, string beans and cucumbers. Alan Thomas brought 4 kinds of tomatoes, Belgian Giant, Porter, Rutgers and B-96, and some blackeyed Peas, Pete and Betty Ligon had 4 kinds of Dahlias, Zinnias, 2 Gladiolas, One Hemerocallis and two other kinds of Lillies.

Our feathered friends seem to be very active: Helen Bently reportend seeing humming birds around Jack's picutre window. Flora's bluebirds raised two families here and see has seen swallows in the corn. Betty Ligon counted three families of wrens in succession out of one nest, but Ulric Hutton saw a snake in a wren nest, presumably feasting on them. Helen Bently said that one of her wren houses was too small after the nest was built inside so the wrens couldn't get out and died.

Lucy Manning passed around a copy of the News Letter of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, saying that we were still on the mailing list, thru the Secretary.

Questions: Flora Goff wanted to know if detergent water was injurious to plants? Some said yes and some said no, but most of us thought that a counteraction in the soil was needed. Also, one of her three Maples has the "Bunch" disease of little suckers; what does it need to eliminate this? Call the Department of Agriculture about this blight.

Harry Goff asked what is the life span of a Mimosa? Consensus was about 20 years, even with one or more trunks. The Mannings have one now between 15 and 20 years old.

Wendy Lawrence: Does wild Monkshood grow here? Yes and Edward Iddings has a nice blue one.

Betty Ligon asked why the Monkshood leaves die? There was no real answer, perhaps it was the drought of her voles. Pete and Betty's potato race is now very hot. There are cuts on their asparagus, cantaloupes, and other vines - is it voles or what else? It was suggested to contact the County Agent in Rockville. Pete also remarked that the fruit display here seemed to be more than the exhibits and everyone was taking more home than he brought.

Mary Moore Miller wants to know if she can control her climbing Peace Rose by trimming? Yes, overtrim it now and paint it so there would not be need for so much later. Her Luffa plant is suffering from the heat.

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Douglass Farquhar asked how many were going to the Gaithersburg Fair later this month and if anyone was going to exhibit? The local 4-H Clubs and possibly a few others would be there.

Lucy Manning: What is the difference between the types of Peat Moss? Mostly the various stages of deterioration, and Spagnum, which may not be rotted, seems to be the best.

Clive Lawrence asled what is Mary Moore Miller now making? She is knitting a hammock.

Wendy Lawrence: Should I have the energy to dig daffodils now or later, and when should they be planted? They should be dug now, dried and wait until after a rain in September to plant them, which should be earlier than Tulips.

Helen Bentley wanted to know how they treated the asparagus worms at the Ligons? It seems that some of the old plants were tied up with the binder twine, which incidentally made them look better, and they sprayed the new shoots as they came up.

Edward Iddings asked why his neighbors' Dahlias were not blooming? Maybe they were dwarf plants. Did I get this answer straight?

Helen Farquhar's Amaryllis has not shown up yet, why? Maybe the ground is too dry and hard. They are soasmodic nyway, and someone said that Douglas may have ut them down with the mower.

In answer to the Scretary's query about the word "Bocconia", some of which was on display last month, it seems that it is an oldfashioned plant somewhat like the cabbage family.

It seemed to be the consensus of opinion that there were very few Japanese Beetles in the neighborhood this year. On this happy thought the Society was adjourned at 9:25 pm. to meet with the Hussman's next month at Roslyn.

Alan F. Thomas Alan F Thomas, Secretary

H/9/1965-1September 7-1965 - In our 102nd year At Roslyn with Vernon and Caroline Hussman

The name "Roslyn" aroused my curiosity enough to look it up in an old encyclopedia, where I learned that there were three small towns listed by that name. One was in Scotland, one was on Long Island, New York, and the other was in Washington State, and each could be spelled three different ways. However, the striking similarity of the three places was that each was known for its beauty of setting and surrounding scenery. So now we know why our hosts have named this home "Roslyn", for the view in any direction from here is truly magnificient.

After strolling around the spacious grounds, inspecting the Hops growing on the fence posts, the many flowers and the cattle, we gathered for the usual feast of goodies. When the stuffing was over and the dishes cleared, Ulric Hutton called us together at 7:45 p.m. We noted that the absentees were the Bentleys, the Lawrences, Bob Miller, the Francis Thomases and the Weskes. The minutes of last meetng were read by yours truly and accepted as read.

Claire Hutton had just returned from a European vacation and will show us here slides at the end of the evening. Bea Wilson informed us that she had no "forethought" after all, because she had recently left her telephone off the hook and had left her garden hose running. But she did say that she had moved her big boxwood bushes anyway, without Pete Hutton's advice.

Douglas Farquhar's weather report for August showed a high temperature of 88^o on the 18th and 19th, making an average high for the month of 81^o. The lowest of 47^o on the 29th contributed to an average low of 62^o. Mean temperature was 71^o vs. 70^o last year. The rainfall on 11 different days totalled 6.48 inches vs. 2.62 inches last year, giving us a total of 28.89 inches for the year, leaving us about 4 inches short of normal.

Our Assistant Secretary, Liz Canby, read a long list of exhibits others brought, but she and Rust couldn't begin to name all the samples of dozens of things they brought, which were growing wild within a hundred feet of their new home. Rust said that most of us did not pay enough attention to the wild life in our wood, including the rebirth of chestnuts apprently coming up from some of the old stumps.

The Goffs brought Petunias, Zinnias, 'Mums, Geraniums, Celosia and seed pods of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit. The Wilsons had Cabbage, Squash, Cantaloupe, Bartlett Pears, 3 kinds of grapes, Crab Apples, Sweet Peppers and some Sedum. The Farquhars brought some Parsley, Pepper, Salsify, Cocktail Tomato, Summer Squash, Zucchini Squash, a melon, a pumpkin and some Bentley Appls. Your Secretary's wife brought Butterfly Bush, Blue Mist Shrub, Gaillardia, Pink Gypsophila, Gladiola, Petunia, Physostegia, Snap dragons, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes and a Golden Delicious Apple. The Mannings had Peppers and Marigolds.

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When President Ulric Huton asked about bird stores, Bea Wilson started to tell about a Bluebird article in the Woman's Day, until Flora Goff asked her to wait until next month because she intended to use the article as part of her own reading program. Betty Ligon commented that both sparrows and cardinals had been seen feeding their young on her feeder. Douglas Farquhar reminded us of the habit of Ospreys washing their feet in the water and that their tremendous wingspread helped them perform this "feat". Ulric had seen them up in the Adirondacks.

There were no Committee reports, no old business, no new business and no questions from the hosts. Douglass Farquhar reminding us if the recent Gaithersburg Fair, pointed out some of our local talent in the lamb judging contests, with the Meyers, the Ligons, Better grey and others winning prizes. He thought that the vegetable display was excellent this year, and remarked that this was now the largest County Fair in Maryland.

Harry Goff says that Maple trees are not necessarily blighted but that they need to be fed and trimmed.

Mary Reading has lots of seed pods on early Magnolias; should they be cut off? Not after they are formed, but some thought it would make no difference.

Betty Ligon wondered if she had chipmunks or voles in her rose bed. Not having seen either one, we couldn't answer her.

Helen Farquhar reported that her Amaryllis did come up the very next day after having questioned us about it last month.

Lucy Manning asked if English Holly has Yellow? Yes, and many colors but it would not be hardy.

Walter Wilson was too comfortable to think of any questions.

Mary Moore Miller has new grass seed coming up in various spots; should it be watered? Don't start watering unless you keep it up continually, for it should be able to start itself.

Bea Hutton found a bag of fertilizer on the road; when should she use it? Considering the many other things she has found beside the road, including beer cans and two dollars, she is lucky it was not a dead dog in the sack. She was advised to sppread it after a light snowfall, if ata ll usable.

Dale Thomas wonders if she should trim off the lower green branches of her variagated holly bush. The discoloration is a sign of anemia, but branches should not be trimmed unles a definite improvement in shape is desired.

Having completed the question period, we settled back to enjoy a trip to Europe with Claire Huttom and her slides.

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Claire and her friend spent four weeks touring Europe by automobile along the unbeaten paths not usually followed by the average tourist. We were priviliged to follow her from Holland through Germany and on into Switzerland; from windmills and dikes, through small towns, festivals and farms to the majestic glory of the Matterhorn, all of these were captured on her beautiful colored slides for our lasting enjoyment. Beautiful flowers, grass and scenery were everywhere from Amsterdam, to Rotterdam, on to Cologne and Frankfurt. We saw the Rotterdam Tower, the Peace Palace, the old festival in Nurenburg and very attractive farm homes. The Rhine river boats took us along Castles at Cologne, past hillside vineyards up to the markets at Heidleburg.

Claire's artistic sense was apparent in her selection of scenes as we visited with her in such places as Lanzurt, Salsburg, Holstat, the Bonehouse and festival parades, and the gardens at Interlaken. When she left us breathless from scenes on top of the Jungfrau and Matterhorn mountains, we felt that we had been with her all the way on her trip.

It was with reluctance that we returned to Brighton and adjounred at 9:30 p.m. to meet in October with the Canbys at their new home "Montresor".

Alan F. Thomas Alan F. Thomas, Secretary