The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-10-19
Meeting OF the Hooking Valley Horti.
cultural society. Y \
HoRTlcULTURAL Rooms, !
LANoAsTEn, Oct, a.. '65.


HoRTlcULTURAL Rooms,
4 LANCASTER, Oct, A.. '65.
Society met pursuant to adjourn-
mont. Vice President Boying in the
chair. Minutes of the last meeting
read, corrected and approved.
The following persons were propos-
cd for membership and elected; DR..
Turner. of Rushville; Geo. W. Cruit,
and F. X. Clark.
By common consent an informal
discussion was had on subjects not ap-
pointed for that meeting. By request
the Secretary read the proceedings of
the Cincinnati Horticultural Society.
Prominent in interest was the stato-
ment of William Clough about Mr..
Bolmer's custom of mounding his
peach trees, from four to five feet
high, in order, as it would appear, to
increase their fruitfulness and preserve
the peaches beyond their season. A
detailed statement, promised by Mr.
Clough, will be looked for by the So
ciety with interest. Mr. Clark stated
that he frequently experimental in
that direction in order to prevent an
early start of the buds. Could sec no
difference in time of the towering of
the trees mounded and those not, all
Jared alike when we had heavy spring
frosts.
Fetters instanced the extraordinary
fruitfulness of a peach tree, near his
sorgho works, around which Bagasso
had been thrown two or three feet
high. Mulching trees was a success
full practice of all horticulturists, but
moundng with earth was certainly
something new, Mulching with straw
or litter, retains moisture; mound of
earth will drain if the former prac-
tice is right, the latter is wrong
Mounding will not prevent trees flow
ering in their season. A tree may be
girdlcd at its base, yet will flower
and set fruit. No food from the roots
can reach the buds before that period;
the elaborated sap for that purpose
was prepared the summer and autumn
before. Young, Kinkead, and others
thought we should not experiment
largely in that direction.
Mr.. Boving called the attention Of
members to the bad condition of cut
tings planted last spring, owing to
mildew, wood had imperfectly ripen-
cd.
Mcssrs. Clark, Speilman, White,
Kinkead, Boving, and Fetters, all
thought that our young vines would
perish this winter unless they were
covered, and the best covering was
Garth, One member stated that last
year he covered green vine in that
way, that had ripened. This spring
it was all right, and threw out branch
es at every bud, and bore fruit. Gov
cring with earth acts as poultice, al
though the vines freeze hard, the
warmth of the earth below draws the
frost out. Light and air being exclu.
ded, no injury is done. In this con-
nection fall planting was rccommcn-
ded; if not planted this fall and the
cuttings are in the beds, they should
be taken up and hceled in with a light
covering, on top. Two objects are
gained the most important of which
is, in digging up the plants, more or
less roots are cut or broken off; at the
extreme ends of the broken off roots,
are the fine fibrous rootlcts that draw
food from the earth, if done in the
spring, five or six weeks are required
to repair the damages. In fall planting
ing or heeling the woundro during
the fall and winter heal, and arc pre-
pared TO send out new rootlets with
outNny loss Of time. On motion Of
Mr.. Clark, preparing ground and
planting fruit trees was made the next
subject for discussion. On motion So
ciety adjourned TO meet Saturday, Oc-
tober 2S, 1865.
+ J. BOvING, V. Pres.
], a. FETTERs, Sec'y. a..