Horticultural Society

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4. Will it do to use Bordeaux mixture with a watering pot? Yes.

5. Is it too late to put manure on asparagus bed? Yes, Wait until fall.

6. How late in life will it do to begin to be a Farmer? Never too late!

7. Is it too late to plant cucumbers for pickles? This is a very good time.

Our examination of the garden was highly satisfactory; vegetables grow well cabbage remarkably fine. We were shown a garden tool to be used by man, woman or boy-power - five or six adjustable tools, plow, rake and several cultivating blades. It is thought it will prove valuable.

Next meeting to be at Brooke Grove

Readers Hannah Stabler Anna Nesbit Janet Miller, poultry

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Brooke Grove July 4th 1905

A pleasant company of members and interested guests assembled. The minutes were read and accepted. The readers 1st Anna Nesbit was absent but sent an instructive article on the culture of asparagus, showing how, in one case it became a "mortgage lifter". After digging trenches three feet deep, put in a good drainage of stones then a foot of well-rotted manure, then well pulverized earth to six inches from top, the seeds were sown and well pressed; as the plants earth was filled in until the trench was even with the surrounding ground and the plants thinned to eighteen inches apart. The second year a limited quantity was cut and the third year there was a big crop. This grower prefers seeds to two year old plants which are often mutilated in transplanting and have to get used to new soil and location. 2nd Reader Hannah Stabler (by her daughter Lily

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Spraying orchards and cultivating for moisture or mulch heavily

Forethought, was excellent. Plant cucumbers for pickles, make two more plantings of Sweet corn. Set out late cabbage middle to last of month and use Nitrate of Soda; sow turnips; Set out celery, thin out suckers of blackberries; support heavily laden branches of pears In flower garden sow perennials, begin preparing plants for winter put in cuttings of roses either in boxes of earth, kept moist or in the ground, covered with bottomless pint jars and leave jars over them until spring. Janet Miller read on poultry, a theory that earth worms caused gapes. Various experiments had been tried and the results seem to show that it might be a fact: the members who keep their chickens off the ground until six or eight weeks old, do not have many cases of gapes.

A Member read of some of the very large trees of Maryland, one 110 feet high.

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Questions

1. What did Robert Miller do to his strawberry bed? Put a match to it to burn the straw before cultivating it.

2. Do you get more tomatoes by tying the vines up to stakes or mulching in the usual way? Train the earliest to stakes and mulch the main crop

3. Is August a good time to set hens? Some think it is.

4. How get labels to last? Paint them before marking.

5. Is it too late to bag grapes now? Yes, it should be done when they are the size of peas

6. How much trim a Crimson Rambler rose? Cut out all branches that bloomed this year.

The flowers, fruits and vegetables were fine quality and good varieties Moles are remarkable for their absence. It was suggested that those who have an abundance of grapes make grape juice for sale. Striped bugs destroyed four plantings of melons at some places

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and have not been seen at all at others.

Our walk of inspection was satisfactory order and neatness prevailed. The variety and luxuriance of vegetables was admired. Many flowers were blooming. Fine roses and a row hollyhocks attracted attention.

A feature of this meeting, was our beloved friend George E. Brooke, now nearly ninety-three years old. He sat in a cosy corner of the porch, watching the building of the new barn and greeted his friends, nieces and nephews with pleasant words and smiles and many with kisses. He knows all the young people and his memory is so good that many people, much younger, go to him for information or to settle questions concerning the lives of a former generation, and we feel like uttering the prayer of one of Dicken's characters "Lord keep my memory green."

Next meeting at Edgewood

Readers Mrs. Janney Sarah Kirk

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Fair HIll May 1st 1906

Our President opened the meeting with the following remarks

"Since our last meeting in October the great reaper has brought sorrow and sadness to many families of our Society and tho "The tender grace of a day that is dead can never come back to us" we still have the consolation of knowing that the dear ones who have left us their impress for good behind them, and it is only by living up to our highest ideas of duty that we who mourn their absence, can reconcile ourselves to the changed conditions, and go forward through the remainder of life's journey with hope and thankfulness for the many blessing that still are ours."

This was the time for election of officers which resulted in the reelection of the present officers to serve for two years. The readers, 1st Katherine Janney read of the vitality of squash seed which come on early if planted in March. 2nd A thorough way of cleaning a hen-house, 10 lbs of dynamite 3rd An important feature in raising brooder

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chickens is to establish a spot for a cemetery!

2nd reader Emily Massey an article on raising shrubs. Treat them like guests and give them what they like best. Volunteer Peaches brought from South Africa which are of good quality and sell for .60 cnt each. It takes four weeks to get them here. 2nd The discovery of a plant in Colorado and adjacent states which yields a fine rubber. Said to be millions of acres

Forethought Do not crowd tomato plants. 4 ft x 4 ft near enough: make the ground rich and mulch. Eggplants treat the same way, melons are of better quality if planted early. 1st week in May: fight striped bug. It is said mothballs will drive them away. In flower garden, give rose bush bone dust and mulch.

In a discussion of the remedies for striped bug it was said they like mothballs! Dr. Magruder covers the plant with cheese cloth over wire bows or willow withs; another remedy is gashouse lime, which is said keep them off.

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Poultry Janet Miller absent John Bentley gave a recipe for the best food for young chickens. C 6 parts whole wheat 6 " corn meal 10 " millet seed 1 " wheat bran 1 1/2 " beef scraps

Report of Executive committee to be prepared for next meeting

Questions

1. Will it injure narcissus to cut the leaves off now? Thought not

2. Can tomato ground be made too rich? Yes, the plants will go too much to vine and leaves; a little compost or nitrate of soda good. Some say five feet apart is better than four by four.

3. Wanted suggestions for plants for porch boxes? If shady begonias. Nasturtiums very satisfactory

4. How hasten the growth of rhubarb? Put a barrel without top or bottom over it. This also makes it tender.

5. What do to apple trees, which have scale?

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shallow working between the rows and says in her opinion recropping the ground is not more exhausting to the soil than is a crop of weeds

Meteorologist had no report

Poultry: Janet Miller absent

Avalon 155 chickens Brooke Grove 600 " 15 ducks Cedar Lawn 150 " Cloverlea 150 " 6 gos. Edgewood 220 " Fair Hill 419 " 47 turk. 20 d. Hermon 400 " Highland 225 " Riverside 200 " Rockland 294 " 41 " Rock Spring 150 " 47 " 5 gos. 6 d. Woodburn 1050 " 18 " 17 " 13 d.

The exhibits were very fine in spite of our recent killing frost and flowers beautiful and abundant.

Questions

1. Is it too late to plant peas? Yes

2. What proportion of helebore to a gallon of water for slugs? 2 table spoons; have the water boiling

3. What the best fertilizer for a new

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strawberry bed? Muriate of Potash and South Carolina Rock.

4. Wanted, a quick growing vine for a west porch? Gourd vine received much favor for immediate shade

5. What do for a poor asparagus bed? Manure heavily in the fall with barnyard scrapings

6. Is fertilizer necessary for corn that has been enriched? No

7. What time divide peonies? late fall and make the ground rich.

8. How does Robert Miller raise strawberries that beat California berries? Prepare the ground, make very rich. Mulch with straw.

9. What strawberry better than Excelsior Michel's Early

10. How start Dahlias? Like potatoes, in boxes of rich earth.

11. Two members set out strawberry plants in May. They died in the very hot weather. Should more be planted now? No. Wait until August; run rows with a potato plow, manure well, mulch with straw then set out the plants.

In the gardens we were surprised