Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1907-1917

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show to be held at Spokan in Dec. Large prizes are offered. Secretary asked to reply. Forethought

Sow kale now if it was not sowed in August. Sow lettuce for the cold frame Boston Market and Iceberg. Keep cabbage worked and if worms are bad try some of the various remedies, insect powder salt and ever Paris Green as a last resort. Dig sweet potatoes early keep turnips from being chocked by crab grass. Save corn, Lima beans and tomatoes. A new mode is to wrap each tomato, even very green onces in paper and keep where they will not freeze. Gather apples early. The work of this month is very important. it is time to pot plants and ignore from an expert who says, "in lifting plants from the ground no slip-shod work will do, no whacking off roots no shaking off all the soil. Have the pots ready with drainage in them. Choose a time when the ground is wet so the soil will cling to roots. Pot at once, water and set in the shade to recover. Heliotropes need special care trim them back to six inches, use a good sized pot thorough drainage, rich soil firming it well, water and palce in the dark for a week, water scarcely at all till new leaves begin to show. In a few weeks it will be a mass of verdure.

No report from meteorologist.

Janet Miller on poultry says oats soaked until a warm mach of oats and bran is good. White interior of hen houses; Skimmed milk is considered good for hens. Roger Fargnhar reports that the fowls he took to College Park experiment station were said by the authorities

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to have "limer-neck." The treatment to be a few drops of turpentine in water and copperas in water. Jogn Bentley says setting a lantern out will stop roosters from crowing at untimely hours of the night. The exhibits were fine and abundant. The roses were exquisite. Other flowers beautiful and in great profusion. The report from the Lima beans from Janes Scablers's of Spring Garden was that some had finer beans and others did not see any improvement. Banan canteleupe good at Rock Spring. At one place canteleupes were prolific but tasted like pumpkins. At hermon their watermelon patch was said three times. John Bentley put poison in a melon and published the fact and saved his melons.

No new business.

Questions {1} Is it necessary to bend down broom corn? Most people say it is best to do it, so keep the straws [strong?]. {2}An orchard bore two crops and since has failed? Cause unknown. Perhaps something at the root. Robert Miller's trees which were not. {3}Sprayed lost the fruit in the same way, the fruit dropping immaturely. {3}Are butter beans raised here? As some places. They are smaller than Limas, come earlier and are good to use in winter. {4}When plant onions sets for spring use? September & October. {5}Currant bushes smothered with weeds, would it be well to move them to new ground? It would be better get the weeds out and leave them; if moved you would lose several years fruit.

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{6}Is it well to fertilize the lawn in the fall? Yes, do everything you can in the fall. {7}Should a new raspberry bed be mulched in the fall? Yes, when they become to thick, think out. {8}Plant turnip seed this late? Try it. {9}Strawberry bed getting full of weeds now, how treat it? Cultivate now and mulch just before freezing weather.

Spray grape vines early and bag the grapes when the size of peas.

A complaint was pretty general that cucumber vines died suddenly after looking healthy.

Margaret Magruder gave her experience with Leghorn chickens. She had been warned that they were troublesome, but thought they would go over to Frank Hallowells, but no, they chestered around the kitchen, broke her dishes, ate every thing they could get at. Mosquito net was no protection against their raids, and the cook even found them up the stove eating the rolls put there to get light. She has no further use for Leghorns.

In our inspection of the garden, the strawberry bed looked well, but it was thought some of the plants should be dug out to prevents its being too solid a mat. Eggplants were fine and abundant the best we have seen. Quinces and apples ready to pick. Lovely roses in the flower garden and salvias geraniums etc.

The next meeting to be at Rock Spring Readers Anna F. Brooke Hannah B. Stabler

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Rock Spring

Oct. 6th 1908

Our President gave us a pleasant welcome. The minutes were read and after some correcrtions, were approved. 1st Reader Alice Stabler read "Flowers for winter blooming, recommeding some wild flowers. Those that bloom earliest out of doors are the best Hepaticas, Spring beauties, wild Columbine Jack in the Pulpit. ELiza Moore saw pots of strawberries in bloom and in fruit in windows in N.Y. Our President would like some of the members to experiment with wild flowers in the house this winter. Branches of lilac, apple and Pyrus Japonica will bloom naturally out-doors. 2nd Reader Anna F. Brooke read "Plants have eyes" by Prof. Wager who says that plants possess an organism corresponding to the brain in animals and further demonstrated that they can see and see well. The outer stem of many leaves, are in fact, lenses, very much like the eyes of many insects. These lenses are so good and focus the light that falls on them so carefully that photographs can be taken by means of them. He has taken them and showed some of the more remarkable. These include a reproduction of a photograph of Darwin in which the features were distinct and unmistakable. Volunteer, Eliza Moore read of some womaen farmers. One woman with four acres raised ducks and pigeons, sold feathers and squabs and supported--her husban E.S. Iddings read of women who own "Freak

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farms," one raising frogs, another herbs another violets another swear peas - and all making money. Dr. Kirk read of the onion industry in Texas and the wonderful results in money.

Forethought - says

We part to-day, hoping to meet on the first Tuesday in April and May we meet-on that day with unbroken ranks. Nothing to be planted this month but a deal to be done in storing vegetables and preparing for winter. Sweet potatoes should be spread about in airy room and removed to a warm room before freezing weather; save Lima beans, ripe and green, gather eggplants peppers and tomatoes. In November put up cabbage, turnips, carrots and beets and old way of saving turnips was to dig a rounf place about 8 inches deep, cut the tops off the turnips put them in the depression, pile in a conical shape, and cover with straw and then earth, Work over the strawberry beds and in December cover straw.

Pick apples and pears. In the flower garden plant bulbs and transplant peonies. Some plants can still be lifted from the garden beds. Janet Miller on poultry read "A clean hen house" white wash with hot lime and use kerosene. Pullets will lay all winter if properly fed. First meal at 8 am last at 4 pm.

Exhibits fine. E.S. Iddings brought some of the hardy oranges. Dr. Kirk read of them at a recent meeting. Small fruit extremely sour, thorns long strong and sharp.

Questions