Club Minutes: The Home Interest Society, 1870-1876

2^nd. When to sow lettuce seed? Sow in hot bed.

3^rd. Can you put too much water on a Japan Lilly. No

4^th. Is it time to plant tomato seed in the house? Yes

5^th. What sort of earth for a Hot Bed? Earth that washed from a field with good woods earth, or ashes if the latter cannot be had, the ashes must be leached.

6^th. When to trim Rose bushes? Before the new growth puts out & take all but the growth of 2 years for most Roses.

7^th. Would you trim a white Microphella much? Shorten in the side shoots & trim off a good deal of the first blooms to prevent blight. 8^th. What kind of stand for beehives? On a bench & protected with tin from mice.

9^th Have cucumber [punifs?] been a success? In shallow wells -

10^th Shall we trim Grape vines or let them go? Trim and in Feb. R. R. Moore now trims in June. Refer to him

11^th Has any one tried planting peas deep and does it do better? Opinions divided.

12^th What kind of fence for a garden? Split rales of oak, close together with a wide board at bottom. Seasoned chestnut is to be best and been known to last three sets of oak.

Frederic Stabler failed to meet his appointment to read, giving very poor excuses. Mary E Moore read "Content and Discontent."

A motion was brought before the society to increase the number of

members. After considerable discussion & two ballots it was back by 11 in opposition & 5 for it & with a hope expressed by some members, that it should be the last effort of the kind especially as it had been decided at a former meeting upon no plea what ever to increase the size of society the home heard various rumours since this meeting that some four or five members intend to resign at our next meeting; they all being gentlemen & feeling their Club all sufficient for their needs, in the way not only of sociability but Horticulture We are inclined to doubt this, as surely no member of the Home Interest can be so selfish in as to deny his wife one afternoon in each month, specially when she does not care to go without him. The chip basket was very nearly

empty we are sorry to say. Readers for next meeting were Anna L. Moore, & A. G. Thomas. Adjourned to meet at Philip L. Stablers March 16^th 1872.

19^th Meeting.

At Philip L. Stablers. Absent members were Isaac & Annie Hartshorne, Mary B. Thomas, Jos R Moore, Asa & Albina Stabler, Walter & Carrie L Brooke, the later still kept at home by the illness of their child. We had as guests Edward & Annie Gilpin Ellen, & Kate Stabler James & Margaret Hallowell.

After various comparisons of the backwoodness of their spring compared with the one preceeding we proceeded to business with the following questioned

1^st Where can the Maderia Vine not be had? Various places.

2^nd Wanted a receipt to color butter with annato - No one seemed able to give any, there being no certainty in the strength of annato.

3^rd Does any one know what the Allghany vine is What we here call a vagara vine or Adlumia cirrhosa.

4^th What seed to sow in Hot bed first? Tomatoes, egg plant, raddish lettuce, cauliflowers-, &c

5^th Do mice go to beehivees for bees or honey? For honey.

6^th Which is most profitable to let hens lay & sell eggs & buy chickens for table - or raise chickens? Some think best to sell the eggs buy the chickens, if we are sure to do it