HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Scientific/Common Names: 2 cultures (was Dolphin violet)
Date: 2 Sep 92 02:05:30 GMT
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

tadams@wedge.sbc.com (Tom. Adams 529-7860) writes:
> I've been looking for a good botany text for a while now.  Anyone out there 
> recommend a book to learn the proper scientific names of ordinary plants?

For ordinary academic botany, Peter Raven's botany book springs to mind...,
but I can't remember the title.  Probably _Botany_ or _Plant Biology_.
The illustrations are very nice.

For a more practical bent, Kingsley Stern's _Introductory Plant Biology_
is pretty good.

If you're looking for information on structural botany (how to tell a 
corm from a bulb, how does a tree grow, what a spur on an apple tree is...),
some of the old botany books are really quite readable and charming.  Some
of the various incarnations of Asa Gray's _Schoolbook of Botany_ (ca. 1860-90)
are quite useful.  The newer texts tend to bog down in auxins and
cytokinins and anomalous secondary growth at times...

As to names, mostly the best way to pick them up is from seed catalogs
(hoping there aren't too many typos...;-) )  British seed firms are
particularly nice about giving you both scientific and common names.
After that, you can peruse weighty tomes like _Hortus III_, or the
USDA's _Checklist of names of 3000 plants of economic importance_ (or
some such).  Personally, memorizing plant names has as much appeal to
me as a good dose of castor oil.... ;-)

My favorite way to learn new plant names is to meet some new plants,
and key them out.   Unfortunately, you need a bit of background training
in terminology before you can really get into it... a truism in taxonomy
is that keys are made for people who can't use them by people who don't
need them.

Or I can always go browse in the herbarium, which in my case is 35,000
flat plants clamoring for attention about 20 ft from this terminal...

Kay Klier
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: bednarek@picard.med.ge.com (Dennis Bednarek Mfg 4-6971)
Subject: Re: tomatoes won't ripen
Organization: GE Medical Systems, Magnetic Resonance
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 10:29:58 GMT

Andrea Midtmoen Fease (fease@dkas.enet.dec.com) wrote:
: 
: >you can pick them - they will turn red in the house (don't put them
: >in a sunny windowsill though - this can 'cook' them)
: 
:      Best way we've found to ripen them - put them in a brown paper bag.  You
: can put them up to three layers deep (any deeper and the bottom ones start
: getting squished!  Put the greenest/firmest on the bottom layer, and check
: *every* single day.  


Also add a sliced apple.  The acid is supose to hasten the ripening.
--

  
###############################################################################
###NEVER - NEVERMORE###########################################################
###############################################################################
####################################What are the contents of the oblong box?##
###############################################################################
  The usual disclaimer of self and employer applies to all above comments.
#
From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: fern sources
Date: 4 Sep 92 19:17:38 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: -

In article <1992Sep3.130011.23597@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>, 
dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) writes: 
> Ferns do not produce seeds they produce spores.  In a moist, still  
> environment the spores will grow into a tiny, heart-shaped green plantlet  
> which produces on its surface eggs and sperms which unite to start a fern  
> plant.  Years ago I had some grow (inadvertently) in a terrarium.  It's  
> a very interesting project, but might take two or three years until you get
> a reasonable sized fern.  I know of no source for the spores other than  
> shaking them off a friend's fern.  This sounds like a neat project and if I
> can just get organized I think I'll try it again. :') 
>  

I've had hollyferns (cyrtomium falcatum) volunteer in my rose
bed and one of my flower pots.  I've never grown any hollyferns, so
don't know where they came from.  The pot originally had a bird's nest
fern in it, but it had died.  I left the pot alone (bug it still got
watered by the sprinklers) and a couple of years later a dense mat of
hollyferns were growning in it.  I suspect the spores of the hollyfern
must have been in the soil with the bird's nest fern and conditions
were right for them to grow.  I missed the plantets from the spores. 
Ever since biology class in high school, I've always want to see these.

I have no idea where the spores came from in the rose bed.  It was
on the other side of the house from the pot and in a very sunny 
bed that did look like a likely spot for ferns to grow.  Hollyfern
must be able to take a lot of sun since the ferns there got quite
large in a couple of years and were competing with the roses.  I've
transplanted them all to shady garden where they can get as big as the
want.

Jim
From: Jack.Honeycutt@f52.n105.z1.therose.pdx.com (Jack Honeycutt)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Pond Building
Date: 25 Aug 92 04:19:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: therose.714798363.F00001

Hello Louise!

24 Aug 92, Louise Twiggs writes to All:

 LT> I don't know where you live, but here in the United Kingdom, a liner of
 LT> that size would cost you at least 600 pounds - maybe more.  A colleague of
 LT> mine has just built a pond 37' x 28' feet in size and the liner cost him
 LT> in the region of 600 pounds.  If you live in the US - prices may be
 LT> cheaper.

Say Louise, I just found a great magazine from the UK called "Aquarist and
Pondkeeper".  Do you read this?  What do you think of it?

It is going to cost me 28 pounds a year surface and 47 for air to get it.
I am still trying to figure out how much a pound is in US dollars.....

Is your colleague that has the pond a member of the International Water Lily
Society?

Glad this news group get's out to the UK.  Would love to keep in touch with
pondkeepers in your area.

Jack, SYSOP The Garden Pond BBS, Portland Oregon, USA.

Jack
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: br105@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeffrey A. Del Col)
Subject: Epsom salts and roses
Reply-To: br105@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeffrey A. Del Col)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 12:30:15 GMT


Recently I read something to the effect that a solution of magnesium sulfate
(epsom salts) can be used to promote the growth of new basal canes on rose
bushes.  Unfortunately, the source did not say anything about the proportions
of the solution.  Can anyone provide me with more specific information about
this treatment?  I would really like to hear from anyone who has used this 
method.  Thanks.

J. Del Col
-- 
Jeff Del Col      *       "I'm never lonely,...living in my heavily      
A-B College       *   populated solitude, a harum-scarum of infinity        
Philippi, WV      *   and eternity, and Infinity and Eternity seem to          
                  *   take a liking to the likes of me." Bohumil Hrabal.       
Organization: Senior, English, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 14:43:40 -0400 
From: Neil Bryant Thornton <nt0a+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: RANUNCULUS???? What is it????

Hi all,
	I'm a lurker on this board and have gleaned much useful info over the
year. Now I have need of a very specific answer. 
	My mother ordered from that mail order catalog plant factory "Michigan
Bulb Company" (I know, I know, no shocked stares please). 
To be honest I have few complaints (except regarding the wisteria that
she ordered died and the strawberries never grew) She did get some very
beautiful roses and lilies et cetera. 
	The thing that I need help with is : She was sent theses little claw
shaoed seeds for a Plant called ranunculus. They are supposed to be a
beautiful flower. However, when I looked up ranunculus in a refernce
book it dreww paralells to buttercup. What I want to know if these are
the same "{buttercups}" that grow like weeds around here and are damned
near impossible to eradicate. I am still waging a pitched battle with
them after my father planted them as a ground cover on a slope near my
house. They're everywhere! Some practically came right up to the Kitchen
door and demanded telephone rights. 
	Obviously if these ranunculus are the same creatures (they seem to be
too tenacious to be mere mortal plants) I don't even want to think about
planting them any where other than in Cement. So, could someone please
shed some light on this for me? Am I worrying needlessly?


				Thanx! 
						Steven (a guest on this account)

P.S. any helpful hints to get rid of Morning glory vines would be
appreciated as well. they seem to be the only things the "{Buttercup}"
is a fraid of.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: spice@convex.csd.uwm.edu (James G Spice)
Subject: Re: What to Do with Jalapenos?
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 17:58:05 GMT

I have a bunch of jalapenos and chiles, and more tomatoes than I can
shake a stick at.  I need to harvest ASAP.  Does someone have a good
but simple recipe for salsa?  It would be greatly appreciated and would
save a large quantity of food from going to waste.  E-mail would save
some space on the net.  Thanks in advance.

-JS


-- 
--------------------------------------     Jim Spice
And we're off, like a dirty shirt!         U. of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee
		--Lester Earnest Spice     Dept. of Political Science
======================================     spice@convex.csd.uwm.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: roberson@eos.ncsu.edu (JAMES D ROBERSON)
Subject: Re: Jalopenos
Originator: roberson@baepm2.bae.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: roberson@eos.ncsu.edu (JAMES D ROBERSON)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 13:53:22 GMT


gaumond@mitre.org (Eric  Gaumond) writes:

<If you'd like firmer peppers, try poking holes in the top of the raw 
<peppers with a toothpick to let the vinegar mixture inside. Then pack them 
<into jars as above, but be careful not to break the peppers.

I've found that the vinegar seems to penetrate the peppers without the
need for piercing, but this may be related to how long they're processed
or more likely how long they stay on the shelf before eating.
The advantage to piercing would be that the liquid would stay up to the
top of the jar instead of dropping as mine currently do.

Send in more jalapeno uses!

jim
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: 11dmcvay@gallua.gallaudet.edu (Daniel T. McVay)
Subject: Help : Plants that growe in the dark
Organization: Gallaudet University
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 17:41:35 GMT

Could someone here tell me if there is a way to grow plants in a dark and 
gloomy basement? I'd like to grow it in my basement room and wish to give it
some life. 

I'm sure there are some plants which will thrive in a dark room with no sunlight
and occassional lighting. 

Email please.

Dan
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: janez@base.bellcore.com (Jane Zysk)
Subject: Re: Forcing Bulbs
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 17:25:19 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.161828.10895@berlioz.nsc.com>, betz@pinecrest.nsc.com (Gary Betz) writes:
|> I thought I'd try some bulb forcing this winter and would like some more
|> data on how to do this. There was a good article in Sunset a while back
|> but I have lost it. Any help would be appreciated.
|> 
|> Thanks,
|> Gary Betz
|> San Jose, CA

	We've been forcing Hyacinth bulbs for several years, here in NJ,
	with great success.  'Round about February, we put some water in
	our hyacinth forcing jars (they're sort of hourglass shaped, with
	the top smaller than the bottom so that the bulb just perches in
	the top section), add a little chunk or 2 of charcoal to the
	water to avoid mold, and pop the bulb in the jar.  The water
	should just touch the bottom of the bulb.  Then we put the
	whole set up in the basement so that it's in a dark and cool place.
	We check them once a week, adding water as necessary, and leave them
	in the dark  until the roots are about 2" long.  Then we put
	them in indirect light (either a Northfacing window area, or
	about 3 feet from a Southfacing window) and we wait for the 
	wonderful colors and frangrances!

	After the blooms die back (usually around late April or early
	May), we plant the bulb outdoors to do its thing again next
	year.

	All we've ever forced are Hyacinths, so I don't know the exact
	treatment for other bulbs.  We got started with bulbs from the
	Smith & Hawkin catalog, and they were very helpful in mentoring
	us along in the process.  Perhaps you could give them a call.

Good Luck!
Jane Zysk
janez@base.bellcore.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com (K. Rogers)
Subject: Re: Heirloom/antique fruit trees.
Reply-To: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 16:41:28 GMT

reilley@studio.enet.dec.com (Tom Reilley) writes:

>Are there any growers on the net who grow heirloom or 'antique'
>fruit trees?  I have LOTS of questions for you. :-)

*THE* place to order heirloom fruit trees is:

Southmeadow Fruit Gardens
Lakeside, MI 49116
(616) 469-2865

They have over 250 varieties of heirloom apple trees alone.  They also
have cherry, peach, pear, plum, etc, as well as some exotic things
like medlar and quince.  They're into grapes and currants in a big way
too.  Other stuff as well.  These guys are real nut cases about high
quality fruit.  Their catalog is some $8 but has descriptions and
often histories of everything they sell; well worth the money.  When
it comes to antique fruit trees, don't bother with any other company
until you've checked out this one.
-- 
Keith Rogers
krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: gaumond@mitre.org (Eric  Gaumond)
Subject: Re: Jalopenos
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 13:08:42 GMT

> macduff@ac.dal.ca (Thomas E. Duffett) writes:
>         Now the hard part. How can I pickle these peppers or make them 
keep
>         for as long as possible?
> 
> In the past I've pickled the peppers as follows:
> 
> Heat a 50/50 water vinegar mixture to just below boiling (enough to fill
> the jars with peppers.  I know, I know; how much is enough?)  Dissolve
> approximately 2 teaspoons salt per quart of mixture.
> 
> When the water vinegar mixture is at boiling point, blanch the peppers, 
that
> is drop into water at a rolling boil for 1 minute.  Remove and quickly 
pack
> in sterilized mason jars.  I usually use quart jars.  Be sure to pack the
> peppers as tight as possible.  I use a dull knife or a spoon to push 
them in
> as tight as possible.  The peppers are hard to break because the 
blanching
> softens them quite a bit.
> 
> Fill the air space in the jars with the water vinegar mixture.  I 
sometimes
> drop a bay leave and/or clove(s) of garlic in each jar at this point.
> 
> Put on lids and rings and process in water bath for 15 minutes.

If you'd like firmer peppers, try poking holes in the top of the raw 
peppers with a toothpick to let the vinegar mixture inside. Then pack them 
into jars as above, but be careful not to break the peppers.  You can use 
the same process with sliced raw peppers.
You can also freeze Jalopenos without any processing at all.  Just lay 
them out on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Then pack them into bags or 
containers for the long term.
(Above ideas were gleaned from "The Whole Chile Pepper Book".)

************************************
Opinions expressed may not be original, but they are mine!                 
                             
************************************
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: brighid@bass.lkw.com (Brighid)
Subject: Re: How to grow grass?
Organization: Lakewood Corporation
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1992 13:21:44 GMT


Well, I've been trying to grow grass since April/May in southern NH.
I have a new house with both kinds of cruddy soil: sand and clay.

These are my somewhat imperfect results:

1) Blue Seal Bank Mix (annual rye and clover) grows quickly. The clover
eventually overruns the rye, holding your bank in place. Do not plan to
mow this.

2) Blue Seal Early Green (fescue of some sort) takes quite a while to
come and looked pretty bad overall.

3) Lofts Wildflower Mix (90% grass = fescue?? and 10% wildflower) grew
sparsely where weeds would not grow.

4) Lofts Low Water Mix (or whatever it's called) grew beautifully in a
patch of dry ex-forest.

5) Low Water Wildflower Mix in can (don't remember the name) died. 100%.

Rye: wide blades, grows fairly high. Annual rye dies in the fall.
Fescue: thin blades, doesn't grow so high.

If you don't want to mow, try a minature grass.

If you just want something to hold for the fall, winter and early spring,
try a fall mix of gorund cover/green manure.

Buy a sprinkler!

good luck!

Brighid

brighid@bass.lkw.com
From: snyder@henry.ece.cmu.edu (John Snyder)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Heirloom/antique fruit trees.
Date: 26 Aug 92 10:02:23 GMT
Organization: Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University

In article <ceaZrpq00iUxA5pWYs@andrew.cmu.edu> Ruth Kline <rk30+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Two other sources for informative descriptions are Henry Field and J.W.
>Jung Seed Company -- both are long-established companies that are still
>run by 
>descendants of the founders.  Jung's phone number in Wisconsin is
>414-326-3123.  If you're interested, I'll bring the Field's phone number
>tomorrow. I wonder
>if the Penn State School of Agriculture might be of help.  Chambersburg,
>which is in the general proximity of Penn State, is famous for both its
>peach trees and Civil War battle, so there's a chance that someone at
>Penn State might share your interest.  Two old-time apples that I
>remember my grandfather longing for
>are Northern Spy and Russet Coat. Good luck in your interesting quest!
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^

this one sure sounds like a Civil War era apple variety to me! (;^))

John
snyder@henry.ece.cmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: james@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (James White)
Subject: Re: How to grow Garlic
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:32:39 GMT
Reply-To: JamesWhite@vnet.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester

In article <1992Aug25.211227.24932@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>, kent@lightnin.Columbia.NCR.COM (Kent Richardson) writes:
|> I am interested in growing garlic and I am hoping to find more information here
|> on the net. I was wondering when to plant, source of bulbs, how to plant, how to
|> care for the plants, any pruning, should the plants grow on a trellis, what kind
|> of yield do you get from one plant, etc. Any helpful info will be appreciated.
|> 
|> Thanks in advance!!
|> 
|> Kent Richardson  kent@lightnin.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
|> 
|> 

Garlic is in the onion family and I couldn't imagine trying to use a trellis. 
What I have been doing up here in the cold reaches of southern Minnesota is to
start my garlic indoors in early February.  It then is the first thing that I put
in the garden as soon as I break the soil.  I have heard that you can plant the 
bulbs in the fall and they will come up, but I usually have not figured out where
I want it that early.

Wish you luck.  I have always had good results growning it.

-- 

James White
From: vrs0@bunny.gte.com (V. Stern)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Pumpkins
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:34:50 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: GTEL

In article <21431@optima.cs.arizona.edu> jat@cs.arizona.edu (Julie A. 
Turner) writes:
> In article <Btuu48.B4w@hsi.com> geiste@hsi.com (Doug Geiste) writes:
> >How do I know when to pick pumpkins? I have one large one know that's
> >solid orange all over. Does this mean it's ready? Will it grow any 
further?
> 
> It may not be quite ready to pick.  Check the vine where it meets the 
stem,
> if it is dead then it is ready -- otherwise, let grooowwww!

That's what the gardening guy on the radio said this week-end.  I also 
heard to put a shingle or other piece of wood under the pumpkin to keep 
the insects from getting into it and to pick it if there's going to be a 
hard frost, regardless of whether the stem has withered.  He said you 
could pick it now, but that it wouldn't last nearly as long on your 
doorstep, if that's your plan.

Vanessa R. Stern
vrs0@bunny.gte.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: anthony@lpi.liant.com (Anthony Beissner)
Subject: Re: Squirrel/Skunk repellent
Organization: Language Processors Inc., Framingham MA
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 21:44:01 GMT

In article <1992Aug19.040834.1062@engage.pko.dec.com> soley@trop32.enet.dec.com (Norm Soley) writes:
>There's a small article about a new product that looks promising in a
>gardening newsletter I picked up this weekend. The product is called
>Scentfence, it's a small plastic disc that has been somehow impregnated
>with fox urine, makes small mammals think there is a fox in the area and
>bug off. They're a little expensive, a pack of nine costs C$22.55 and
>you need to put one approximately every six feet to simulate a fox
>marking territory, the article claims they last about a month. 
>
>Unfortunately I don't have a manufacturers name or address, only the
>name of a local store that carries them.
>
>Anyone have any experience with these (they've only been on the market
>about 6 months)?

I have had no experience with these disks, but I have dealt with fox scent
before.  It is used by hunters to mask human odor.  Deer seem to take no heed
of the scent, but a smaller animal might.

If you discover that they work but object to the price then try re-scenting
them with scent that can be bought at hunting supply stores.  It is sold
in small (2 oz?) bottles but should be enough to treat nine disks several times.
I'm not sure what the current prices are, but should be much less than $22.

BTW, wouldn't the animals that you are trying to scare have to have met a fox
in the past before this would work?  I have lots of squirrels eating my pecans
but have never seen a fox in my neighborhood.  ;-).

-- 
===============================================================================
Just say no to .signature files.        |             anthony@rmc.liant.com
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