On the Sowing of Flower Seeds - The Maryland Farmer and Mechanic. June 1, 1864

    In order to be successful in raising flowers from seeds, it will be necessary to bear in mind that the smaller the seed the less deeply should it be covered with earth. Some seeds are so small that they require only to be sprinkled over the ground and gently pressed into the soil, and should the weather prove very dry, a thin layer of damp moss ought to be placed over them til they germinate, when care must be taken to have it removed. There are few seeds that require such extreme attention.

    Small seed such as Petunia, Portulacca, &c sow about one-eight (sic) of an inch in depth; those of larger sizes as Mignonette, Sweet Alyssum, &c, about one quarter of an inch in depth; still larger as Balsam, Morning Glory, &c, three quarters off an inch in depth; and seeds of the largest size as Nasturtium, Lupine, &c, fully one inch in depth. They must be covered with finely pulverized soil, or leaf mold slightly pressed down, and should be kept moderately moist by shading or slightly sprinkling of water, until they make their appearance. Tall varieties should be neatly staked to prevent injury from wind or rain.

Transcribed from: On the Sowing of Flower Seeds - The Maryland Farmer and Mechanic. June 1, 1864. p. 183


 

Verbenas - The Maryland Farmer and Mechanic - June 1, 1864

Verbenas

    This, the prince of bedders, everybody who has a garden should have. Of endless variety, of almost all shades of color, many strongly fragrant, they are universally grown in the old world and the new. An ordinary soil will grow them. The only favor they ask is fresh, new ground. In this, if allowed plenty of room, they will flower from the first planting out until early winter frosts.

    Among the hundreds now named in catalogues at home and abroad, there are not twenty sorts notable for perfection of habit, flower, color and profusion of bloom. Small plants of a few inches in height are most certain to grow close to the ground than large plants.

    The following are choice standard varieties and most serviceable:

    White - Snowflake and White Perfection; Blue - Turquoise and Azurea; Striped - Mœnitta Coccinea and Madame Janvier; Scarlet - Fox Hunter, Mrs. Woodruff and Illuminator; Crimsons - Crimson Perfection, Giant of the Battle, and Brilliant de Valse; Rose and Pink - Celestial, Pompadour, and Rosy Morn; Dark Purple and White Eye - Royalist, Grand Turk, and Warrior



transcribed from: The Maryland Farmer and Mechanic. June 1, 1864. p. 183

Invasive Xylotrechus hircus - A New Beetle Species Tries to Sample Our Forests and Landscapes

Inage: copyright © Purdue University

     Two Xylotrechus hircus, longhorned beetles, were discovered in a shipping container of magnesium desulphurization reagent in Philadelphia by agricultural inspectors on April 28th, 2011. These were the first ever reported interdiction of this potentially damaging, harmful invasive species in Philadelphia as well as the United States as a whole according to Steve Sapp with the CBP Public Affairs office. Invasive species like these are most effectively handle by early detection and rapid responses such as those administered by USDA APHIS PPQ and US CPB.

    Why do we care about two beetles? The economic and environmental damage that can come from newly introduced species can overwhelm any cost effective response once the species is established. The emerald ash borer is a prime example of what can go wrong and the extent of the damage when there is no early detection and no response.[1]

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection notes that the "invasive species Xylotrechus hircus is an invasive, wood–boring insect pest from the Cerambycidae family of destructive longhorned beetles indigenous to Asia. Longhorned beetles pose a serious threat to American agriculture, to national forests and to the timber industry. CBP issued an Emergency Action Notification and ordered the importers to re-export the container of desulphurization reagent in which the longhorned beetles were discovered. That container was shipped from China."


 
[1] Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week Don't Move Firewood; Save America's Trees http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

Domestic Recipes - complete transcription - June 1 1864 Maryland Farmer and Mechanic

Maryland Farmer and Mechanic. June 1, 1864. Baltimore. S. S. Mills & Co. p. 191 "Domestic Recipes"

    Rhubarb Wine - Peel and slice as for pie; put a very small quantity of water in the vessel, only just enough to cover the bottom; cover the vessel and gradually bring to a slight boil; then strain, pressing out all the liquid; to this liquid add an equal quantity of water; to each gallon (after mixing) add from four to five pounds of brown sugar; set aside, ferment and skim like currant wine; leave ion the cask and bulk as long as possible before sending away. - All wine is better kept in casks.

    Strawberry Wine - Press out the juice from the strawberries, and add two quarts of water to each quart of juice. Loaf (sic) sugar is then added at a rate of one pound to the gallon. Put into a barrel in a cool cellar, and ferment in the usual way.

    Currant Wine - One quart of currant juice, two quarts of water, three pounds of crushed sugar, and to each gallon of the mixture add one gill (sic) pure brandy. Place a cask on its side with the bung up and fill it entirely. It will require replenishing, as it wastes by fermentation, and the cask should always be kept full.

    Currant Jelly - Pick fine and large ripe currants from the stem, bruise them and strain the juice from a quart at a time through this muslin pressing it easily to get all the liquid. Put a Lb. of white sugar to each pound of juice; stir it until it is all dissolved; set it over a gentle fire; let it become hot and boil for fifteen minutes; then try it by taken a spoonful into a saucer. When cold, if it is not quite firm enough, boil it a few minutes longer. It may be made by standing it in the sun, without boiling, if put in a very warm place and is generally of a much better color than when cooked by the fire.

    Strawberries - This delicious fruit is so acid that it requires that it requires the full complement of a pound sugar to a pound of fruit to prevent its spoiling before winter. They preserve their shape and color better if they are only partly cooked in the syrup, and then allowed to stand in the sun two or three days; but if cooked entirely by the fire, they should be put into jars while hot and sealed immediately.

    Raspberry Vinegar - Take three or four quarts of raspberries, put them in a stone crock and cover them with vinegar. Let them stand twenty-four hours. Then strain this juice through a jelly-bag and pour it on to fresh berries, letting this stand another day. Repeat this process until you have the quantity desired. Add to each pint of juice one pound of sugar. Put it into a preserving kettle and allow it to heat sufficiently to melt the sugar. When it is cold, put it into bottles. It will keep several years.


 
This transcription is dedicated to @dewdropper9 who asked me to see it through today


 
    

Rhubarb Wine Recipe from June 1, 1864; Maryland Farmer and Mechanic

Maryland Farmer and Mechanic. June 1, 1864. Baltimore. S. S. Mills & Co. p. 191 

"Domestic Recipes"

Rhubarb Wine - Peel and slice as for pie; put a very small quantity of water in the vessel, only just enough to cover the bottom; cover the vessel and gradually bring to a slight boil; then strain, pressing out all the liquid; to this liquid add an equal quantity of water; to each gallon (after mixing) add from four to five pounds of brown sugar; set aside, ferment and skim like currant wine; leave ion the cask and bulk as long as possible before sending away. - All wine is better kept in casks.

Image: University of Illinois Extension

University of Illinois Extension University of Illinois Extension University of Illinois Extension University of Illinois Extension University of Illinois Extension University of Illinois Extension 

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WARNING
Never eat rhubarb leaves, cooked or raw. Eating the leaves can be poisonous because they contain oxalate. This toxin, plus another unknown toxin also found in the leaves, has been reported to cause poisoning when large quantities of raw or cooked leaves are ingested. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/rhubarb.html

see complete transcription of recipes at: http://ipetrus.blogspot.com/2011/05/domestic-recipes-complete-transcription.html

 
    

Invasive "city longhorned beetle" Species Intercepted by USDA APHIS

    Our Congress and political elites, egged on by much of the news media, focuses on grenades and bombs on people and in containers that flow through our ports of entry. They appropriate billions while ignoring the work of the quietly effective Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspectors who intercept the really dangerous enemies of the state. These invasive species make building bombers look like wimps. While a bombs could destroy a part of a city, invasive insects and diseases can wipe out whole sections of our country's landscape and food supply system like a giant tidal wave of uncontrollable destruction.

Photo by M.E. Smirnov
http://www.zin.ru/animalia/coleoptera/eng/aeosarms.htm

    Recently at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, USDA APHIS intercepted Aeolesthes sarta also known as the city longhorned beetle and not to be confused with its relative, the invasive  Asian longhorned beetle. Aeolesthes sarta is native to northwestern India northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, in mountainous areas frequently in the news for other invasive threats which get front page exposure. First found in the 1920s in the highlands of the Asian subcontinent, the beetle has a high potential for establishment in North America because of climate similarities and host availability.[1]
 
    This tree-killing borer will change ecological balances in natural and urban forests. In other words it will keep the trees that line the streets where we live and decimate the tree-line of natural areas and landscapes. The city longhorn beetle is potentially one of the most destructive pests of many deciduous forest, ornamental and fruit-bearing trees in North America. According to the BugWood web site, "It attacks both stressed and healthy trees of all ages. Sometimes young larvae girdle a tree while feeding on the cambium, which leads to the rapid death of the tree. Young trees with a thin bark are the most susceptible to the beetle. Sometimes the presence of just 1 to 3 larvae per tree is enough to cause mortality. There are reported cases where the pest killed large areas of mountain forests. Major damage is also caused to city plantations. Serious damage is also observed in shelterbelts and in fruit (especially apple) orchards."[2]


    The destructive potential is clear even if the will to do anything is weak to non existent. The efforts of underfunded APHIS will go unnoticed and when the beetle finally gets through and the trees begin to die, then we shall clamor for solutions that will be too costly to undertake. We are in the early detection phase with little hope of sufficient rapid response funding if when the beetle gets past our unsung heroes of USDA. Let me be clear as I can - the city longhorn beetle is known to attack Ulmus, Populus, Salix, Platanus, Malus, Prunus, Pyrus, Juglans, Quercus, Betula, Fraxinus, Acer, Morus, Geditsia, Robinia, and Elaeagnus. Imagine the landscapes and ecosystems with all these species severely attacked and reduced in number. And for those that care not for ecosystems, imagine then the costs to cut down the trees before the come down on homes and businesses.


    The current Congress is so busy protecting us from human invasion that to find funding for home defense they take money from the century old programs that have so long held the line against ecological and agricultural invaders that threaten our food, feed, fiber fuel and forest resources. Congress that ever so short sighted aggregation of only one solution to budget problems just took another 75 million plus from current 2011 operations funding for USDA ARS and APHIS. Congress along with the rest of us will wonder why our forests have disappeared when it is actually too late to do anything.



 [1] City Longhorned Beetle. http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/plant/caps/docs/clb.pdf
[2]   Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.  http://wiki.bugwood.org/Aeolesthes_sarta