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H/9/1941 -1-

"ALLOWAY" September 2, 1941

"Alloway" was once more the lovely setting for a large gathering of the Horticultural society. Following the minutes, Emma Stabler gave us two fundamental articles on gardening. Humus, or organic decomposing material, is the cheif requirement of good soil; it is used up each year and each year should be returned to the soil. Its best source is the compost pile, to which can be added Leaves, lawn clippings, wood ashes, garbage, and a few lbs. of nitrate of soda, bone meal, or 5-8-7 commercial fertilizer. Humus holds moisture in the soil, and Plants can only take up food through their roots in soluble, or liquid form. there is now on the market a new type of commercial fertilizer made from garbage or other organic materials.

Experiment on lawns, read next by Hobart Hutton have shown that Aug. 20 to Sept. 20 is the best season in which to seed a lawn. The standard mixture is 3 parts by weight of ky. bluegrass, 1 pt. of red top, and 1/4 of 1 pt. of white clover, sown 3 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. Frequent applications of a mixed fertilizer 10-6-4 gave the best stand and root system/ another article gave us hope that federal agencies are discovering and spreading natural checks to the Japanese beetle, which will reduce it to the status of native pest, most of which are sporadic in their injurious activities. when some control is found, home trapping spraying and dusting will then have appreciable effect.

Mary Stabler's forethought included the following Ferns and begonias should now be repotted for winter when cutting lilies,be careful to leave enough foliage which is needed to ripen the bulbs. Her exhibit of philippinense formosanum was a handsome sight. poison wheat seems to have been successful in protecting her lily bed. "Why don't people plant more lillies?"

Mary Hutton also showed us a beautiful blossoming cluster of her Franklinia Gordonia, a shrub which may grow to 30ft. and is hardy as far north as Philadelphia.

Alice McReynolds read the list of exhibits from Ten Oaks, such zinnias from Mt. Airy, the gift of a large begonia from Edward Iddings, fine vegetables from the Cedars, Edgewood, Mt. Airy South Highlands, a lima bean and yet more vegetables from Sharon, and 20 varieties from Tanglewood.