News

Summer 2007

Restoration in the Farmhouse continues. We have renewed the plumbing and installed brick-red quarry tiles in the two kitchens. Work is now progressing in the pantry: ceiling and floors are being renewed and a new freezer will be installed.
The large greenhouse is closed to allow replacement of the roof. The Plexiglas was fastened directly to the pine rafters with unfortunate and predictable consequences. Ventilation corrections will be incorporated. We will use Lexan polycarbonate which is far more durable and specifically made for greenhouses,
Restoration of the gardens continues; we are concentrating on the shrubs and trees, for which pruning and trimming is needed. The lower limbs of the large trees lining the walk along the stonewall between the garden and the greenhouse have been trimmed or removed to allow more light and air in the garden. Considerable work needs to be done with the garden soils which are quite sour and fallow. "Top dressing" with compost is not sufficient and most gardens require "double digging" to incorporate minimum needs of humus.
The farmland in the rear is no longer in maize, but has been grassed over as an open meadow; meadow grasses and Alsike clover are establishing themselves quickly.
In clearing out the invasive bittersweet many grand old apple trees have emerged from the shrinking vines; a bountiful harvest hangs from their boughs foretelling the Christmas balls which will soon hang from evergreens indoors.
Caprilands Institute, Inc. now exists as the Estate continues preparations for the future.

Autumn 2007

Work is well along to restore the main greenhouse whilst enhancing sustainability with modern materials which compliment the old.

The main greenhouse is now completed! The old Plexiglas has been replaced with 18 mm Macrolux polycarbonate made by CO-EX Corporation in Wallingford. Installation was again by the finest New-Old World craftsman for the best of the Old-New World and completed by MargTile. The result far exceeds expectations and will allow better winter and early spring growing conditions supporting the myriad gardens. Last winter's pruning of the large trees along the stone wall has allowed light to return to the greenhouse, and we have hundreds of different seeds from Europe long awaiting germination in our restored post-and-beam greenhouse for transplanting into the gardens when weather settles.

Next to the new double doors, a cat door has been provided for Onyx, Agate, Meow, Tigger, Houdini, and Ludwig (who appears too big at about 5 kg or 1 stone, but slips through) because there are no longer any other openings for them to sneak through.

A new cedar shingled roof has replaced the leaking roof over the pantry. This time it was done right! And, complements the new ceiling inside the pantry.

The Nordic may pole has been replaced after the old went down in a wind storm. The pole is made from small sugar maple trees growing on the Farm and, unfortunately, have limited life in our harsh New England weather. The Nordic May Pole celebrates Midsummer's Day, 24th June, in keeping with Northern European traditions for the summer soltice.

From Edward Werner Cook:

Whilst visiting the Charles Darwin exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on 24th May last year, I learned I had been elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. The Linnean Society is the world's oldest biological society, founded in 1788 with the bulk of Carl Linnaeus' library and herbarium. The society is located in Burlington House in Piccadilly, London. The annual meeting of the society is held on that date every year because that is the accepted birthdate of Linnaeus in 1707. After election, formal admission remained. And, on 25th January I was formally admitted into fellowship of the society. Tea was served in the library at 17:30 followed by admission at 18:00 in the lecture hall. A lecture by Dr. Sandy Knapp of the Natural History Museum (London) entitled ""Linnaeus' Global Reach" followed. The meeting concluded with a wine reception in the library.

Later, the dining club members and I walked the short distance down St. James's to the Royal Over-Seas League for dinner where I dined with Charles Darwin's Great Grandson, Stephen Keynes. Stephen is currently working to raise one million pounds for an educational centre next to his prized Downe House (Darwin's home and where he wrote his magnum opus) in time for the Darwin bicentenary in 2009. While he has little hope of raising funds in America, Europe and England have embraced Darwin; he was buried in Westminster Abby and his portrait is on the ten pound note.

This year is the tercentenary of Linnaeus, so events will be tumbling quickly, although the Swedes are a trifle upset that most of Linnaeus's works are in London.