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H/8/1987-1

August 4, 1987

The year's 5th gathering of the Society met at Sweetbriar, home of Peter and
Polly Conlon. The day had again been dreadfully hot but everyone seemed to
shed the afternoon's torpor to enjoy the Conlon's hospitality and handsome,
well-behaved children. The dramatic and seldom flattering development of
the Ashton crossroads is a manifestation of the area's direction and we
should be grateful that households like Sweetbriar can maintain the essence
of an earlier time with such equanimity.

The guest were Polly Conlon's mother and cousin, Dorothy and John Janney,
Mary Reading Miller, Hellen Farquar, Jan Westervelt, Nicolas Chavand, and
Martha Nesbit. Noticeably missing at the helm was our president who was off
travelling however, the gavel was in the equally able hand of Susan Canby.

The minutes from the last meeting were read. Since there was no unfinished
business we proceeded to the volunteer article.

In lieu of an article Harold Earp talked about the county extension service's
Master Gardener program. This program was modeled after a system started in
Canada in 1968. The purpose is firstly to educate those interested in
increasing their horticultural knowledge and secondly to have those people
help share what they've learned. For $40 one gets classwork, tours, and
intensive training in the gardening arts. As a culmination to the program the
participants use and augment what they've learned by volunteering to answer
related questions that are phoned into the Extension Service. Questions that
the volunteers are not able to answer can be referred to higher authorities
and the answers passed on to the inquirers. Harold Earp portrayed the
program as a worthy and effective way to increase one's horticultural
expertise and serve the county's gardeners at the same time.

The minutes from 100 years ago were read. That meeting was held at
Rockland and it had been 88 degrees at noon that day.

Betty Hartge read an article by Russell Baker that described the adversarial
relationship he has with his garden. Accompanied by the spirits of Walter
Mitty and the Man From LaMancha, Mr. Baker with imagination and vigor
sallies forth into the garden to bend plants to his will in ways he could not
control human equivalents. The best metaphor identified bindweed as the
lawyer of the garden - a plant that entwines all with delicate tendrils until
nothing breathes and nothings grows. He recommends a ruthless approach in
dealing with this litigator of the legumes, this attorney of the asparagus, this
barrister of the broccoli, this lawyer of the lettuce.

The forethought advised us to stop pinching the chrythansemums and if the
dirt is willing, divide primrose, daylillies, and other perrenials. Feed young
rooted cuttings weekly. Remove mulch from around fruit and berry plants.
Plant spinach, beets, ,corn salad, lettuce, cabbage and endives. Harvest,
harvest. Get thee to the kitchen and settle in.
During the furor and overabundance of August we were reminded not to
forget to reseed in September.

The meteorological report listed 88 degrees the average high for July (the
high being 95 on the 21st). The average low was 69 degrees (the low was 55