Club Minutes: The Home Interest Society, 1906-1910

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gested the name, which was taken from a column of the New York Tribune written by Mrs. Lyman.

Edw. P. Thomas made the proposition to have a copy made of the portrait of Sarah Farquhar now hanging in the parlor at [?], and present it to the Park Av. Meeting House. A motion was made and carried to appoint E.P. Thomas to take charge of the matter and report.

It was asked whether it is worth while to give special treatment to asparagus that has the rust. Put on straw and burn it off. Also spray with Bordeaux Mixture.

The root of kale will not be killed if it is not cut too close.

Dr. Brooke gave an instance of a man begging for money to buy a house. He had a long list of names of those who had helped him. The doctor thinks it a mistake to give money in this way unless we are sure that it is a worthy case.

Everyone present agreed that one ought to have a law obliging people to kill a dog suspected of being mad, as a protection to the community.

Ashes used to be put on an asparagus bed and was found to be satisfactory. This is one of the best forms of [?].

Celery should not be covered as heavily now as it will need when the weather gets colder.

A committee of two, Louisa Brooke and Hallie J. [Beultey], was appointed to write an obituary of Mary E. Moore.

Adjourned to Sunnyside at the regular time.

Emma L. Boud. Sec.

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396 Meeting-Dec 31st 06. Sunnyside

Many members were absent from the meeting of the Home Interest at Sunnyside Dec 31st 06 Indisposition, absence from the neighborhood and recent deaths in families were responsible for the small assemblage.

We had as visitors Hannah B & Emma J. Stabler, Miss Relyca, Newton, Mary Hallowell, Elgar Hallowell, Newton Osborne and Caroline H. Miller Stabler.

The weather was not propitious for out door investigation, and besides members come so late nowadays that a lantern would be needed to explore the vegetable & flower gardens.

In the house we found Holiday decorations of indigenous evergreens and some fine specimens of house plants in the bay window and elsewhere. A gigantic rubber plant hung gracefully over the passage way for us to walk under & so think rubber, if we did not utter the word. A large picture of President Roosevelt on the wall is greatly prized because of the genuine autograph attached.

After the minutes were read of former meetings. The returning officers handle over the gavel & books to those newly elected.

In addition to secretaryship the office of treasurer goes with the [?]-

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and books. There seems to be no provision made for bonding this officer and what, is there to prevent him from pouring the whole contents of the treasury (seventy three cents) in his [inside pocket] and skipping for a lark to Canada.

Not very much advice this month from the forethought committee.

Mary E. Gilpin & Emilie Massey were unanimously elected members of the society.

Supper being always in order we adjourned to a most delicious one served by our hostess & the young women in attendance.

After supper John Thomas moved to enlarge the size of the society to take in our new [?] carried Rebecca Miller moved to invite Robt. Miller & wife to be voted on at next meeting.

Mr. Frank Downey & wife were put on our waiting list for membership.

Upon motion of Dr. Farquhar to send delegates to the Anti saloon meeting at Rockville Jan 8th the chair appointed Dr. Farquhar & wife to that service.

1 Guest. Asa asks if the larger chicken plants have been as productive as expected of them?

A very general small yield was reported. [Nelie] Stabler thinks chickens pay better to have run of premises & a [?] patch. Others believe in close confinement & variety of feed

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in [?]. Most chickens [?] [?] this season & have barely started to lay yet.

Emma Boud gets 35 eggs from 35 hens while the other hundred hens help to eat and cackle. Newton gets 30 doz. eggs weekly from 170 hens, but a burnt barn & charred wheat help to fill the basket.

The Bouds advise a dry mash for feed at night, 2-Dr. Thomas asked how a thousand Buzzards discovered his roast carcases so quickly. It was said by some that they fly very high, and having the eye of a vulture can see the gathering family group perhaps a hundred [rules] or more and suspecting a a club supper on hand they join the crowd and settle down to hash & rehash.

Dr. Thomas also advised attention to wills & insurance policies at this time of year. Both may need changing to suit changing conditions 3-Nelie inquires who has wood for sale? Annie Sullivan is selling some 4-Shall I sow cabbage seed now or early spring? Wait until St. Patricks day. 5-What is the value of young guineas dressed? 90 cts. per. pair 6-Must Hallie Bentley mulch her roses now? Wait until the ground is frozen again

Mrs. Berkley read part of a letter from New Jersey showing that we are not the only one having trouble with the servant problems 8-Kate Thomas was advised to get small lettuce

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for her cold frame instead of serving seed at this time of year. 9-Mary Bentley Thomas has too much mustard in her pickles. Pour off the liquor & add vinegar. -10 Mary B. Thomas says some of their trees are affected with [exeresences]. She was informed the disease is caused by insects & can be communicated to other trees. John Smith would have said the trees had [?] out of course one Doctor would advise [Quimine] & the other [Eucalypla] 11-Mary Bentley Thomas advised greater vigilance against fire. Mrs. Hallie Bentley has had a present of a fire extinguisher, which of course she will gladly [?] out when not in use. Parlor matches were much discussed as the probable cause of most of the farmfires, and the plan of furnishing safety matches free to all laborers had many advocates 12-Emma Stabler asks what to do with a very muddy kitchen yard? Advised to use plank now & broken stone with sand covering in the spring for a permanent job. 13-Ava [losing] paper per Lou Brooke read a very appropriate & touching tribute in memory of our late member Mary Elizabeth Moore. which was ordered on the minutes and a copy [There] of was directed to be sent to [?] [?]. [?]

Adjourned to Willow Heights

F. Thomas sec.