Club Minutes: The Home Interest Society, 1870-1876

3^d meeting

At a meeting of the "Home Interest" held at Leawood on the 29th of the 10^th Mo 1870 nine members were present and about as many visitors. After an hours talk of the weather, crops, politics, etc, the assemblage came to order, and proceeded to inspect and enjoy the great variety of flowers and other home attractions of the place. The sitting room was decked with vases and hanging baskets, whose wandering verdure clustered about the windows and gave promise to the happy hostess that when all else shall adopt the sober livery, there, will still be perpetual spring. We ascended to the second story of the tower & found a room appropriated to the flowers & plants that could not find a place upon the ground floor. There was a large collection & many are rare in this bank of the country.

Our hostess seemed very familiar with the names & habits of all her plants & we hope to derive much practical information from one who takes such active interest in these necessary luxuries.

We visited the garden & noticed first a fine bed of strawberries, then another array of flowers & plants, a bed of spinach, a promising cauliflower, & what attracted most attention was a compost heap made entirely of the rubbish of the garden, such as is usually burned or wasted. When we returned to the house the following questions were referred and answered.

1st should the small bulbs of tube rose be removed now or in the spring? In spring 2 How raise lemon trees & does it pay to cultivate them without bay window? No! by acclimation.

3 Will orange trees from seed bloom? Yes 4. Are spinach, celery, etc. far forward for the season? No 5 Account of a members method of cultivating celery- sow the seed early in spring in a corner, in rows; cut the top off when well up. During harvest time prepare ground, by digging & manuring well; then after harvest dig & manure again. Make a trench two inches deep in which set the plants 4 or 6 inches apart in the row & hill up well as they grow. At frost trench & pack close & hill up near the top. 6 Should the coloring of sheep skins be done at the time of tanning? Scrape the fresh skin, tack it tight on a board, and tan with an application of 1/2 # of salt and a 1/2 # of alum each applied to the flesh side to remain two weeks, then rub & wash & treat with dye when cold.

7 members gave experience with washing machines. 8 remedy for vermin on fowls? Kerosen & carbolic acid 9 Remarks on strawberries & raspberries 10 To Keep out red ants? striped pipsissewa. Pulverized Boxax, Turpentine 11 Remedy for mice? sprinkle arsenic between two slices of meat, cut in squares and put them in their holes. 12 How is Blanchard churn liked? well

Adjourned to meet at F. Thomas's Nov 26th

4^th

The fourth meeting of the Home Interest was hld at Lucknough 11^th Mo 26 1870 & all the members were present excepting two: one of whom was indisposed & the other was absent from the neighborhood. Nearly all came in good time except the secretary whose want of punctuality was less excusable than if the meeting had been some where else.

In consequence of his tardiness we did not organize until four oclock, one hour later than that proposed.

It was then too late, if it had not been too uncomfortable, out of doors, to take the tour of inspecton usual at former meetings which we expect to keep up whenever vegetable or flower gardens can be found. But here we were told nothing of the kind exists. The last remnants of curly head savoys, that once towered about a wilderness of weeds, have been nipped by a score of sheep, & their long & spare stems