Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1937

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Tanglewood 6 April 1937.

As we opened our first meeting of the Horticultural for 1937 at Tanglewood on April 6, our thoughts turned to the member we have lost since last we met and Margaret Bancroft read a fitting tribute to Alice T. Stabler whose bright presence we will miss from our meetings. A copy of this paper will be given her family and one kept with these minutes.

The reading & adoption of the minutes of October 1936 was followed by Mary Brooke reading of some of the strange arts in self defense as practiced by animals when caught in tight places. They appear to have a most intense love of life & in the matter of self protection often assume forms that are startling in their subtle artisttry.

Helen T. Hallowell article called attention to the fact of garden soil in perennial beds after a wet winter becomes packed & needs loosening up with-out disturbing the roots of

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2/ plants to let in air & drainage.

Milton Bancroft volunteer article gave good suggestions for care of the lawn especially for filling in the bare spots caused by a coarse grass. Lift out the undesirable roots with-out disturbing the others then broadcast over the ground a compost of garden soil & peat moss, rake in & then sow the grass seed.

Forethought hints said this was the time to trim privet hedges. Fertilize asparagus if it has not been heavily manured. Sow cabbage & cauliflower & annual flower seeds in hot bed. Put out pansies. Sprout dahlia roots in boxes in cellar. Gladiolus can be planted six inches deep & every two weeks for continuos bloom. Blue salvia is recommended as very satisfactory.

Mary Stabler had recently visited the Dupont green houses at Kennett Square & was most enthusiastic over their beauty, while the Secretary told something of the charm & wonder of the famous

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\3 garden near Charleston, S. Carolina which she had been fortunate enough to see lately.

Henry J. Nichols as meteorologist gave an interesting report of the weather for 1936 which and he was asked to serve another year.

The poultry report gave 6600 chickens as compared with 5056 a year ago.

The Community Council report asked for our views on the question of zoning & it was moved and carried that we go on record as favoring growing in a restricted area.

We named Milton Bancroft as our representative to the Council for the coming year and Frederick L. Thomas as our delegate to the annual meeting to take our nominations of delegates at large to fill the vacancies that will then automatically occur; we suggest Clarence B. Henry from Brookeville Dist. Charles Connor from Olney Robert H. Miller Jr. & Yellott Canby from Colesville, one of these two to fill out the unexpired term of Mrs. Mortimer O. Stabler who had resigned.

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The annual reading of the by-laws was followed by the election of officers to serve for two years & the result was the re-election of the following - Clarence L. Hurry, President Robert H. Miller Jr., Vice President Mariana S. Miller, Secretary - treasurer Mary M. Stabler Forethought

The exhibit of flowers, vegetables and fruit was very attractive. The fine hot house tomato from Ten Oaks was worthy of special mention as were 12 varieties of flowers from out of doors at Edgewood

An invitation was extended to us to visit the Narcissus Show to be held soon in Alexandria.

Questions Our hostess asked if it was a help to soak vegetable seeds before sowing. The opinion seemed to be that if the season was dry, it was no benefit, but if wet afterwards it was a help.

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It is thought best not to cultivate rhubarb in the spring, but it requirtes plenty of manure around it/ Cover well with it in winter and draw away in the spring.

What experience have members had with raising & cultivating everbearing strawberries. Allen's catalogue tells how to care for them.

What can you do to get the bugs off ivy in the house. Clean with a tooth brush & kitchen scrape then spray with nicotine.

Do mushrooms grow under pine trees. In Japan they do but as far as we know not here.

Mary Stabler told of fine shrubs &c to be bought from E. C. Robbins Ashford, N. Carolina in addition to those to had from our local nurseryman.

Two years old snap beans can be used for planting if there is no weevil in them.

It is well to cut back winter overed snap dragon quite firmly.

Has any one tried raising the Boysenberry which is described as being a marvelous new fruit about 1 1/2 ins long & an inch thick

From 1 1/3 acres of Boysenberry, that marvelous new fruit, James Cole, Cypress, California, sold 5000 trays (12 baskets each) for $1,950 in 1936. From 100 plants, Fischer Brothers, Arcadia, Calif., sold $200 worth of berries.