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H/10/1966-2-

10-4-1966
Page 2.

For an extra added treat, Harry also read an article on the
Passion Flower from a recent Sunday Star. Although a victim of cold
weather, the Passion Flower has many admirers among gardeners, in
spite of its prolific growth. There are over 300 species, differing
not only is flower color but size and taste offruit and habit of
growth. Characteristics change according to the native habitat.

Usually the fruit is the size of a hen's egg, but it may be
smaller or larger, and there is one variety that has gourdlike fruit
which may weigh seven or eight pounds. Most of these fruits, properly
called "berries", are supposed to be pleasantly edible, and some
Southerners make a superior tasting jelly from them. The Indians
used this fruit in cultivation and their medicinal usage of the plant
made interesting reading.

There being no forethought reader available for this meeting,
we turned our attention to Douglas Farquhar's weather report, for
September. With the drought finally broken, Douglas claimed that
his rain guage must be broken too, or else it leaked badly, for it
only registered 6 1/2 inches for the month, whereas many other guages
showed that much in a 24-hour period. After a lively discussion on
the possibility of obtaining a new guage, the members gave him a vote of
confidence, realizing that he would be able to remedy the situation
in the future. September's high of 87° occurred on the 4th and there
was an average high of 71°. September 16th showed the lowest reading
of 44°, making an average low of 57° during the month and a mean
temperature of 64°.

Grace Thomas recorded a list of exhibits as follows: from the
Bentley came spinach, tomatoes, onions, lima beans, parsley, beets
and crab apples; the Ligons brought Glexinias and a watermelon; the
Goffs had a Jacobs Coat; the Thomas' brought a praying Mantis; but
the Huttons brought the biggest Squash ever seen which measured 36"
around one way and 66" around the other, and nobody dare lift it to
find out what it would weigh.

Flora Goff still has her Bluebirds around, as well as some
Titmouses? The Bentleys are still watching the Souder's robins.
John Weske is trying to raise some grapes, but had none last year.
This year they were almost ripe one day, and gone the next, to the
noisy chattering of some Bluejays in a Mocking tone. Our President
suggested feeding the birds popcorn, and putting up plastic owls or
winding imitation snakes among the grapes, whenever his narrow-minded
neighbors objected to cannon shot for the pesky birds.

Questions: Dorothy Weske wanted to know the name of a par-
ticular flower, which turned out to be a variety of sedum.

John Weske asked what kind of pears will grow in this area?
Kiefer and Seckle pears do well except for the Fire Blight. The
Canbys have some Bartletts and your Secretary hopes to have a crop
of Devoe pears later on as well as Seckles. The Beltsville scien-
tists say that the old pear trees are no good now, but that sand
pears and seckles are immune to the blight. There are some isolated
good trees here and there, but it may take 25 or 30 years before
anything more successful comes out.

Pete Ligon wants to know how much fruit is in the Goff's