Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1880-1891

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1883

Alloway

Sept 4th/83 noon 79°

A large and interesting meeting Two families were absent, those from Longwood and White Hall. Our guests were cousin Sallie Brooke Fred and Patty Stabler Louisa Pleasants, Ben and Sarah Miller, Al bina Stabler Mrs. Sherman Deborah Reese, Joe and Annie Shoemaker Carrie Bond and Madge Miller

Our specimen tables were loaded with good and beautiful specimens, which were from Avalon, pears, tomatoes, hops, very fine sweet corn and flowers; from Falling Green potatoes, corn and flowers; from Rockland, apples, cabbage, cymlings, cucum -bers, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, 4 varieties of beans, Kohl-rabi, salsify martynia egg-plant and flowers; from Brooke Grove To-matoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, cymlings Lima beans, corn, salsify, potatoes & flowers Rock Spring, peaches, sweet potato, Lima beans and flowers; from Riverside, 3 kinds of apples, tomatoes flowers & fancy grass from Sharon, apples, pears 3 kinds of beans and flowers. from Olney beans corn and tomat -oes; from Edgewood, Fulford and Hermon flowers. Joseph Shoemaker brought some

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very handsome double Sunflowers from his home in Germantown.

The readers for this meeting were Edith Hallowell and Robert Miller. Edith Hallow ell read an article on yellows in peach trees in which, high feeding is recommen -ded, especially with potash and dissolv-ed bone and also mulching. Robert Miller was "out West" so we lost the benefit of his reading for want of a Telephone

Joseph Shoemaker was called upon to describe the manner of cultivating tomatoes at his home, but modestly declined saying his wife runs the place!

Questions

1 How ripen pears? In a dark closet or drawer or a hot-bed well shaded

2 Is it a good time to plant strawberry beds? Yes, good but spring is better

3 What variety is best after Sharpless? Monarch of the West and Kentucky

4 What is the best treatment for straw berry beds in the fall? If there are no mice cover with straw, chips dirt pine needles, manure or well rotted chaff

5 How deep plant Tulip bulbs? 3 or 4 inches

6 How can we have perfect bunches of grapes? Unknown

7 When plant kohl-rabi? In the spring when other vegetables are planted

8 Is it late or early to pot a Calla?

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a very good time.

Several persons complain of tomatoes bursting before they ripen and some are much troubled with mildew on rosebushes Margaret Magruder had a clemates des -troyed by a bug. Rachel Gilpin and Roger Farquhar had the same expe -rience. Rachel Gilpin kills them with hot water in a basin into which they are shaken.

The time for the Exhibition is drawing near and our President reminds us that we are to take every thing that will decorate or add interest in any way.

Our walk showed us a beautiful flower garden still in full bloom and a vegetable garden which had supplied the summer vegetables and still contained many things for winter.

Our society has been accused of paying more attention to the cultivation of flowers than vegetables but we think it is an unjust accusation and that it is proved to be so by the great improvement in the vegetable gardens of all our members.

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Norwood

Oct. 2nd 1883 noon Tem 64°

Assembled at the usual time the families from Longwood Alloway and Fulford were absent. The guests were Richard and Edith Bentley, William More and wife and Carrie Brooke.

The specimens were from Avalon quinces, sweet potatoes and flowers; from Hermon pears, apples, peaches, and flowers; from Sharon, pears and flowers; from Riverside, pears, Lima beans, tomatoes and flowers; Rockland, cabbage turnips, tomatoes, okra pep -per, 2 kinds of beans, egg-plant & flowers Falling Green cucumbers, lettuce and flowers; from Brooke Grove flowers, from White Hall peaches pears apples 5 kinds of grapes, 3 kinds of sweet potatoes, 3 kinds cabbage, sweet corn Lima beans, tomatoes and flowers.

W. H. Farquhar brought peppers and the very curious "dish-cloth" Gourd. Edith Bentley brought winter radishes and Carrie Brooke brought very fine peaches celery and flowers

After reading the minutes, the Horticultural Exhibition was reported a success in spite of most untoward circumstances. The cost to each family was .40 cents, which was paid

The readers for the evening

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Eliza Brooke and Francis Stabler. Eliza Brooke read a selection called "gardening in the Evening of Life." Francis Stabler read some directions for keeping plants in winter as regards temperature &c. The secre -tary read an article from the Popular Science monthly, "What is Work"

Questions

1 A member has a Marechal Neil rose which grows and grows but will not bloom? Various suggestions and guesses at the cause. One thinks it may have been a grafted or bud rose and the graft or bud destroyed

2 What is the proper time to plant peach stones? Sprout this winter and plant in the spring. W. H. Farquhar planted some three years ago and this fall had plenty of peaches from them.

3 Will Abutilons live in the cellar? Yes

4 Why is it that eggplants flourish and bear well and fail utterly at another only a "stone's throw" off when every pains has been taken to raise them properly?

5 Is there any advantage in plow ing a garden in the fall? 14 to 2 in favor of plowing in the fall

It is found in some situations that manuring in the fall keeps the ground wet and frozen late in the spring and so delay