Club Minutes: Horticultural Society, 1907-1917

H/6/1916 -2- 247 The variation in egg yields was investigated at the Utah Station. Contrary to the accepted opinion that it was necessary to renew floks frequently to obtain the highest egg-yield it was found that more hens made their highest record after the first year X X The average productive life of the strain of fowls in this experiment appreared to be about four years. In the Rhode Island and Mississippi Stations cotton seed meal was formed to be as good for egg production as beef scraps. Is the Cornell Station it was found the possibility of reducing the high cost of living appearing to be more in a better system of distributing the products than in obtaining greater yields. In the New York Station a study of 10 years profits from an apple Orchard showed a net profit for this period at $120.60 per accre. This was a Baldwin Orchard in its fourth decase. The profits from this orchard were believed to be many times as great as those from an overage New York orchard

Volunteer M. T. Kirk "The Chestnut blight" This bark disease has become irrisistable in Mass. The State forester says the area of severe infection is so great and the proportion of Chestnuts there would be any hope of saving so small the Commonwealth would not be justified in making any attempt to to stop the disease. For the opinion of authorities, the only thing left for the

248 H/6/1916 -3owners to do is to cut down the trees while they have any marketable value any that have been touched with the disease should be rushed too market while they are worth selling

Forethought "What so rare as a day in June, then if ever, come perfect day on these" perfect days? instead of sitting and dreaming the hours away our seeds are planted and gardens worked and were it not for the bugs and other enemies, we might sit and dream, as there is little to advise more than was said last month Exhibits

A splendid display of roses and peonies, sweet Williams and other flowers. There has never been a finer display of Roses at any meeting and the green table covers heightened their beauty. This was the first appearance of the green tble covers suggested by Frances Stabler, bought and made by Corrie Brooke. Vegetables were excellent [&?] peas from 11 places, new potatoes from 4, cabbage from 3, lettuce from 7, Spinach, asparagus, rhubarb and radishes from various places & plants of corn, Lima beans, string beans, parsley, carrots, salsify and tomatoes [The pints?] were huge strawberries, fine cherries, winter apples; well-formed quinces, grapes, goose berries, currants, rasp

H/6/1916 -4- 249 berries and apples Poultry Alloway 75 chickens Turk. Duck Goz Brooke Grove 500 chickens Avalon 75 chickens 1 Cloverly 100 chickens Edgewood 180 chickens Cedar Lawn 98 chickens Falling Green 125 chickens 52 Fair Hill 300 chickens 70 6 14 Hermon 10 chickens The Highlands 175 chickens Pervercanuld 40 chickens 12 Norwood 180 chickens 22 Riverside 60 chickens Riverton 90 chickens Rockland [6?]80 chickens Tanglewood 201 chickens Woodburn 2000 chickens 25 4804 182 6 14

Our Treasury being empty Mary Stabler was appointed to collect .10 cents from each family for the use of the Secretary

Questions 1 How soon should newly hatched chickens be given food? Some chicken raisers say they should be 24 or 36 hours old before they are fed and others say 48 hours.

2 A nut tree, very tall, growing where we do not want it to be. Will it do to move it? Yes. Cut it back severely

3 What do you know about Pyrox?

250 H/6/1916 -5. It is liked very much for spraying slugs and other plant enemies.

4 What soil for Radishes? A light soil and shallow planting and cover with sand

5 What do with a box bush that is blighted? Trim it back.

6 What can be done in the fall to keep moles from spoiling a tulip bed? Put wire mesh under the bulbs a foot deep.

7 Is this the right time to saparate Iris roots? Yes, after they have bloomed

9 What is the right tim to make a third planting of tomatoes? Dr Magruder's rule was the 4th of July

New business

The members from Alloway resigned their membership. Their resignation was accepted with regret.

We visited the little early garden near the house Beets and lettuce, beans and cucumber were fine. The Flower garden was admired. Showers prevented our going to "Tipperary". We had a distant view from the lawn and the long rows of peas, corn Lima - beans etc looked promising.

We hear that our Sister Society "The Neighbors" will follow our example by having a Forethought Committee, which is gratifying.

Next meeting to be at Riverton

Readers Ellen Farquhar Cornelia Bentley

H/7/1916 -1- 251 Riverton July 4^th 1916 We had a safe and sane 4th of July. Several members were absent and many agreeable guests fille their places. The minutes were read and no fault found. 1^st Reader, Ellen Farquhar, read from the weekly "News letter" Watermelon wilt, a serious disease. It has been known in the South for many years and has now extended to the Pacific Coast. It is caused by a fungus which lives in the soil, and enters the roots, plugging up the water carrying vessels, preventing the rise of moisture, thus causiing the wilting and death of the plant. A field once infested shows the same trouble in suceeding years. The disease is spread in different ways. 1^st by particles of earth carrying spores which are easily scattered by the wind & by impliments used in cultivating, [a?]nd be the feet of men and animals, by infected stable manure and drainage water flowing from an infected field There is nothing that can be done to save a field of melons when once attacked by the wilt, but the disease may be avoided by not planting in an infected field, not useing manure which has had old watermelon vines in it, not planting in fields which have received drainage water from infested fields.