Newsletter

September 1998

Roger is a long time grower and hybridizer, very active with the AOS particularly the AOS judging program. He is presently the Chairman of the National Capital Judging Center and is the President elect for the National Capital Orchid Society. In his other life he retired as something called an Economatrician. Webster says that’s the application of statistical methods to the study of economic data and problems. Roger says he’s just an economist,but his real love is Orchids.

He is also in partnership with three other growers under the name of Arbec Orchids. The place is pretty interesting since it is a showroom first of all, but some of the plants stay so long they have to be given growing culture care. So they have to have a showroom comfortable enough for customers, (you know how it is back there, severe cold winters and severe hot summers), then add high energy lights on moveable track bars plus they have to add airborne misting for added humidity. Behind their retail sales store and local greenhouse operation they also own and operate greenhouses in the Dominican Republic. This keeps him very busy since each of the owners has to take a turn at overseeing the Dominican Republic operation. His presentation will be about select miniature Cattleya hybrids with a series of photos of their parentage and their physical characteristics that influenced the final product..

Roger will also provide the plants for our Plant Opportunity Table, he specializes mostly in Oncidiums and Mini Catts. He says he was the original hybridizer of a mini Catt that received an FCC. He didn’t mention the name but said he would try to find a nice healthy one for our Silent Auction.

PLANT DONATIONS NEEDED TO SUPPORT ORCHID CONSERVATION

The SDCOS Conservation Committee will be raising funds to support orchid conservation by selling donated orchids during the San Diego Orchid Fair at Quail Botanical Gardens, September 26-27. We are soliciting donations of plants from members for this sale. Donated plants may be extra divisions, seedlings, or any plant in good health and in need of a new home. Besides contributing to orchid conservation, donating plants also is a great way to make space for new acquisitions! Since the SDCOS is a non-profit organization, donors may receive a tax deduction for the fair value of their donated plants. SO...you can support orchid conservation, free up some space in your growing area for new orchids AND receive a tax deduction, all at the same time!! It's pretty tough to beat a combination like that. We are not asking for large donations from each person: one or two plants apiece would be great! Member donations are vital to the success of this endeavor, so please do contribute, if you can. Plant donations may be brought to our booth at Quail Botanical Gardens on Friday, September 25. If you would like to donate plants but can't bring them to Quail, or would like us to pick them up from you before the sale, please contact: Ron Kaufmann (270-7584; kaufmann@acusd.edu ), Peter Tobias (784-8215; tobias@scripps.edu ) or Cindy Hill (481-5782; cynthiahill@email.msn.com ) to make arrangements. THANK YOU!

NEXT SPECIES GROUP MEETING

Sept 6th at Susan Coyne’s new home, 1622 Hawkview Dr., Leucadia, CA 92024 (760) 753-1550 scoyne@snd10.med.navy.mil

This will be a fun trip, new landscaping, new house, new greenhouse, what more could you ask? Good food and orchid friends to brag with? You gottum! See you there.

Directions: from south....5 to Leucadia Blvd exit. turn right (east) to stop sign (Saxony) turn north (left) on Saxony and proceed through 2 stop signs and then turn right on Quail Hollow. Follow Quail hollow to first left(Kildeer) and turn left on Kildeer then turn right on Hawk View Drive. Go up the hill and park where the street widens ...you'll see plenty of head in parking spaces. The address is 1622 Hawk View....(760) 753-1550 (one story white house)

From north.... 5 to La Costa Blvd....go east on La Costa to fruit stand (Saxony) which is only about 1/2 mile from freeway...lots of construction, pay attention because if you miss it you have to go all the way back to the freeway to turn around to try it again... South on saxony to Quail Hollow. turn left on Quail Hollow....first left on Kildeer...first right on Hawk View Dr. up the hill to park in the head in spaces....1622 Hawk View Dr.

July 7th, 1998 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Present: Fred Weber, Christopher Herndon, Leno Galvan, Edith Galvan, Ann Tuskes, Alma Marosz , Bud
Close, Cindy Hill, Peter Tobias and Siv Garrod. Meeting called to order at 7:10 P.M.

REPORTS
1. Last meetings minutes were read and approved.
2. Treasurer report was read, accepted and filed for audit.
3. Second Vice president - This month novice class will be not have an instructor. A plant trade will take place.
4. Show Chairman - Next show meeting is August 18, 1998. Please submit show themes suggestions to Bud Close by phone.

OLD BUSINESS
1. A motion was made to pay the outstanding fee to the AOS photographer. The motion was seconded and no one opposed.
2. The AOS pamphlets - To Alma Marozs for taking on the task of organizing and delivering the pamphlets to the SDCOS members. THANK YOU!

NEW BUSINESS
1. Our plant table is purchased by the SDCOC each month for $420.00. A question arose regarding the sale of orchids at our meetings, does this affect the sales of raffle tickets? Alma Marosz analyzed plant cost and tickets purchased data for 2 years. The only correlation between cost and ticket sales were the condition of the plant table. Poor plants resulted in poor ticket sales.
2. Chris Herndon volunteered to inquire into a program of donating cut orchid flowers to a nursing home on a monthly basis. He, is a volunteer at a local hospital, brings in cut orchid flowers to patients and it is
very much appreciated.
3. Due to the increasing printing costs the SDCOS Newsletter will be cut back 20 pages. Harry Tolen , the Editor will look into other printing facilities.
4. Peter Tobias, of the SDCOS Conservation committee asked if the Garner fund would be willing to pay airfare for a speaker from the high school to give a talk about their program at one of our regular meetings. Since the monthly speaker fee and travel money comes out of general funds it was suggested that a Lynwood high school student may also come and make a presentation. Peter Tobias will further pursue this topic. Our society gave them money last year for their work on propagating local orchids in their lab and intruducing them in
local woods and city parks.

August 11th, 1998 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Present: Fred Weber, Christopher Herndon, Leno Galvan, Edith Galvan, Ann Tuskes, Alma Marosz , Ben Machado and Siv Garrod.

REPORTS
1. Last meetings minutes were read and approved after some minor changes.
2. Treasurer report for July was read, accepted and filed for audit. The proposed budget for 1998/99 was presented and a motion to accept the budget after a few adjustments was made and seconded, no one opposed.
3. First Vice president - Roger Cole of Arbeck orchids will discuss care and breeding of miniature Cattleyas. He will also provide the plant table.
4. Second Vice president - Don Van Keckerix will tell us when to re-pot and give examples of basic potting techniques.

OLD BUSINESS
1. Chris Herndon has contacted two nursing homes in the Clairmont area that are interested in his "orchid flower a month" idea.

NEW BUSINESS
1. Harry Tolen, our Newsletter Editor will have done that task for 10 years in December. He would like to retire and rest up. The search for a new Editor(s) is on.

The meeting was adjourned 8:10 P.M.
So we still have 693 individual members? Great!! 301 + (2 x 196) = 693 New Rosters should be out soon, currently 693 have already signed up for the next year!!

WANTED: Stanhopea platyceras, pulla, martiana; Lacaena bicolor or spectable; Sobralia species
other than S.decora or S.macrantha. Will offer reasonable price, but not exorbitant. Reply to Paul Mitchell pmitchel@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu or (813)236-3636 [=tel/answ/fax]

2nd VP's Report for September's Newsletter:

Last month we had a plant trade instead of a novice class It was a lot of fun!!!! About twenty people brought in plants to trade. Most of the plants that were brought in were exceptionally fine and well-grown plants. All those who traded went home happy. I would encourage more Society members to participate in next year's Plant Trade as it would make it even more fun.

We are lucky this month to have Don van Kekerix presenting the Novice Class. Don will show us how to recognize whether or not plant needs repotting. If you had ever wondered whether or not its time to repot your orchids, Don's talk will certainly eliminate all doubt.

He will tell us how to observe the potting medium for signs of decay. I look forward to seeing you all at 6:30 PM in Room 104 to hear Don's presentation. Bring any questions you might have with you!!!

Correction and stuff
From Ned Nash, American Orchid Society

Dear Harry,
I enjoy receiving your Society's newsletter each month here at the AOS. Not only is a fun publication, it helps remind me of what is probably still "home". Nonetheless, and maybe no one else cares anymore, but I do...It is most emphatically Cattleya Irene Holguin and not Blc. Its fine shape may remind one of a brasso, but the fact that it is a straight cattleya, and of largely mossiae ancestry at that, make it one of the highest creations of the hybridist's art. Thanks, Leo! Keep up the good work.
Ned Nash American Orchid Society

Dear Ned,
Thanks for the BLC C correction. That's entirely my fault. I have the picture in my collection on the computer and have the name wrong. And it's one of my favorite Catts. That type of big ol' purple is one of the things that got me started growing orchids in the first place. For awhile I was interested in Indian species and Leo (Holquin) never could understand that. "Flowers come and go too quick", and he is right!!

I have a C. Atalanta that came from up there somewhere. I don't know if that was from Armacost or Stewart creation but it sometimes is spectacular. Most times it produces a rather modest spike of 14 white catts, but sometimes, wow, 24 white catts on one spike!! It is not a spectacular flower if looked at one at a time, but 24 of them on one stem is quite impressive.

Anything you want us to say about AOS? I would like to get some of the color membership forms for putting in with my orders to customers. Got any pull?? You could also send a paragraph or so about any new AOS happenings you want folks to know about and I would be glad to put those in. Thanks for your email, Harry, SDCOS Editor

Dear Harry,
I doesn't take any "pull" -- thankfully, cause I ain't got any -- to get membership brochures, just a simple request will do. How many do you want? We even pay the postage.

C. Atalanta alba was actually a hybrid remade by Andy Easton with the two albino forms of the parents to determine if they were, indeed, of the same alba group as had been postulated (they were). He gave the seed to Ernest at Stewart's in San Gabriel, where they were grown. They never really received the attention they deserved, probably because they came along right about the time of the merger. Such is life. Nevertheless, they are among the most beautiful of cattleya primaries, as you have noted. I personally like the ice-green ones myself. Your call for comments about AOS happenings comes at an interesting time. For too long, the AOS has been (rightly or wrongly, justified or not) perceived by West Coasters as some sort of East Coast elitist mob. Just why that is is hard to figure. If that was indeed the case, they wouldn't have hired me! (Nor would Don have been President.) In any case, realizing that out-of-sight is out-of-mind, we are making a concerted effort to include the West Coast in our travel planning. Both our President and Vice-President have given presentations out there this year, and I have made a circuit through Oregon, and will be there again in the Bay area in early September. Heck, I'm even giving a talk in SB on my vacation. So, we haven't forgotten you. We've also seen the mistake we made in trying to sell the shell rather than the egg on our new HQ. The issue really isn't how it will look, but what it will house, what expanded services it will enable us to provide to members and to the public at large. We are deep into the planning stages of our database and information accessing mechanisms. Suffice it to say, that not only members, but advertisers and other commercial interests, as well as the newly created vast buyer base will find the informational resources of the Society right at their finger tips. I hope we'll see you at the Trustees Meetings this Fall at the New Otani show. Keep up the good work.

Oh, and while Leo is usually right, they don't last too long, they are still beautiful!
Ned Nash, American Orchid Society

Hi Ned,
I'm always looking for stuff to put in the newsletter. Doesn't have to be a thesus to attract readers. Just a paragraph would do. Actually much of your notes might be very readable to our members. Can I quote you on some of it?? I think we have pledged $1000 a year to the building fund. I was amazed at the Florida Society's $5000 a year.
Harry, SDCOS Editor

Harry,
Be my guest on the quotes, that was the intent. We are very appreciative of your society's pledge, especially as I noted, the interest diminishes directly proportional to the distance. S. Florida societies see the most direct benefit, so it is easier to get member support. This is partially our fault, as I say, as we were remiss in publicizing the "at distance" benefits of our planned new info systems. Live and learn.
Ned Nash, American Orchid Society

Search For Newsletter Editor,

December will be 10 years I’ve spent doing the monthly newsletter. Time for a change, time for me, time for you. What does it entail? Whatever you want it too! There is no format, no rules, you can make it what YOU want, you’re doing it? Right? I don’t think we can continue with the present format due to printing price changes. Thanks to several of you who got me businesses to quote, but they were all higher than at present! So all we need is the monthly Minutes, schedule of meetings, and announcements. Ads may be eliminated entirely or limited to just a few, it’s up to you, you will be the Editor!

On the Web,
by Duncan, online editor

The O zone this month has a great article on one of Florida's native orchids Encyclia tampensis, deltails the problems orchids and other plants face in our countryside. Go to the O zone!

Encyclia tampensis 'Perfect Circle'
PHOTOGRAPHY ©1998 GREG ALLIKAS