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THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
June Meeting, 1976.

The Horticultural Society met on Tuesday, June 1st,
at the Cottage with Mary Moore Miller. The dinner brought
together for this occasion was especially good and de
delicious.

After a brief social period the meeting was called
to order by our president Robert Miller. The minutes of
the last meeting were read and were approved as read.

This was the memorable meeting that celebrated the
100th birthday of our dear respected member Sarah Manakee,
the painter who in looks, spirit, charm and knowledge of
plants is as young and informed as many of our members.

Jennie Canby, our reader, gave us a delightful review
of Maurice H. Grant's book on "Flower Paintings
Through Four Centuries". Flower paintings often give as
much beauty as the original flowers themselves. The 17th
century is the greatest era of flower painting. Inch for inch
paintings of flowers rank among the most costly of human
productions. Collectors of flower pictures have given
little or no consideration to the painters on porcelain
and china though much exquisite work has been done on
Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Swansea and Sevres. Some
flower painters have done studies on rice paper that are
delicate and delightful objects; and there several old
painters who wrought little masterpieces on satin. Flowers
are flowers, wherever seen, and it is the execution of
them, not their site, that makes them works of art.

Volunteer article. - Mary Seiler reported on a Wall
Street Journal article of May 10, 1976, on the early heat
and late frost we experienced last Spring. Some areas
of North Carolina have lost 80% of their peach crop, and
possibly 50% of the blueberry crop. The estimate of the
peach losses in South Carolina is up to 80% in many areas.
In Virginia the peach crop loss has been from 30% in some
to all of the crop in other areas. Pollination problems
have been rather severe in Western New York. A week of
cold and rainy weather may have kept most of the bees in
their hives during the critical pollination period. Southwest
Michigan, it is estimated, will lose 90% of its sweet
cherry crop and 60% of its tart cherry crop. However, because
major commercial fruit growing areas, like California
are expected to produce bumper crops, the late frost damage
might not have too much effect. the overall production