The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[CaptBeefheart]

Two things: I have the finest concrete walls a 2014-vintage apartment building can have. I'm pretty proud of that.[:D]

The other is you gents are waxing poetic about gingko trees without mentioning the overpowering fecal-like stink associated with said monstrosities. Do you have some sort of GMO gingko tree in the States where the guys in white lab coats took the stink out of the gingko nuts moldering on the sidewalk? Although the trees are indeed cool looking, I can do without the biohazard wafts emanating from all over, even from the soles of my shoes, at this time of year.

Cheers,
CC

[obvert]

Just to keep the tree convo going, there is an interesting deciduous tree also growing in China (thus the connection to the campaign). [:)]

My dad used to have a summer house in Condon, OR, very near to a small town called Fossil. The town name derived from the very accessible fossil beds out behind the HS fields, on the bank just beyond the end zone. It's a well known spot for amateurs and pros alike, and yields mostly plant materials from 50-60 million years ago when OR was a warmer swampy area full of megafauna.

I found a number of decent tree leaf fossils there, and most of them had very delicate small needle like leaves coming off both sides of a stem, like the pic below. These were from a tree called the Dawn Redwood, or metasequoia glyptostroboides. They were thought to be extinct but were later "rediscovered" in the Hubei province of China (Wuhan is in this province) in 1944. Interesting this botanical work was being done right in the middle of WW2.

Apparently there are some on the streets of London here, so I'm interested to find out where. There are also three planted at the northern side of "strawberry fields" in central park as symbols of continual renewal.

This is one of my fossils of the metasequoia.

[Canoerebel]

Dawn redwood has now been widely planted throughout the United States. I've seen them in Athens, Rome, and Armuchee (the little community where I live).

Metasequoia glyptotroboides is one of the most musical and humorous of the taxonomic names for trees. When I speak about trees, on occasion, I mention this name and a few others. Coincidentally, I'm teaching a class at our local college this morning that will cover this topic.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Dawn redwood has now been widely planted throughout the United States. I've seen them in Athens, Rome, and Armuchee (the little community where I live).

Metasequoia glyptotroboides is one of the most musical and humorous of the taxonomic names for trees. When I speak about trees, on occasion, I mention this name and a few others. Coincidentally, I'm teaching a class at our local college this morning that will cover this topic.

Another interesting connection across the oceans! [:)]

[Canoerebel]

That's funny, Obvert. Several unsual little coincidences last week. For those of you reading, my family went to Chattanooga for lunch to celebrate my daughter's 25th birthday; Obvert went to Paris, France, to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday.

The class I'm teaching this morning is called "Vanishing Georgia: The Lumbermen." It will include the taxonomic names of about ten species, including dawn redwood, yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua.) There's a poetry in taxonomic names....sometimes.

At the end of the class, I'm going to give a nod to the past and to Halloween. Yesterday I spent hours (way too many hours) preparing a video of old Georgia photos set to a song by Dan Fogleburg. (If you don't know Fogbleburg, please don't tell me. You'll make me feel old.) I don't know if the video is worthwile or not, but here it is for those of you who like old photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNgogCMjsEg

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody
Do you have some sort of GMO gingko tree in the States where the guys in white lab coats took the stink out of the gingko nuts moldering on the sidewalk? Although the trees are indeed cool looking, I can do without the biohazard wafts emanating from all over, even from the soles of my shoes, at this time of year.

Cheers,
CC

I have never, ever seen the fruit...from a nursery web page.

For all the virtues of Ginkgo, some will avoid it due to the messy and stinky fruits. Washing off the smelly outer flesh reveals a delicious nut prized by many in Asia. Fruitless, male cultivars are available in numerous shapes and sizes.

[DRF99]

I have never, ever seen the fruit

I've eaten the fruit in Japan, many times.

They call them ginnan.

[BBfanboy]

Great photo retrospective Dan. I was struck by how many dirt poor children there were, and the little girls in the textile mills were heartbreaking.

At the 43 second mark there is a caption on a photo "This is the boy that laid the bolt that threw 88 ..." . Does that refer to a train derailment or something?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Great photo retrospective Dan. I was struck by how many dirt poor children there were, and the little girls in the textile mills were heartbreaking.

At the 43 second mark there is a caption on a photo "This is the boy that laid the bolt that threw 88 ..." . Does that refer to a train derailment or something?

The Accused - 1908
THIS IS THE BOY THAT LAID THE BOLT THAT THREW 38
Description: Buford, 1908. Louis Cooksie. Writing at bottom reads, "This is the boy that laid the bolt that threw 38." He thought the train was a fruit train and laid a bolt on the track to throw the train so he could help himself to the fruit. The train was actually carrying troops.
Cite as: Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Division of Archives and History, Office of Secretary of State.
Usage note: Contact repository re: reproduction and usage.
Held by: Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260

[MakeeLearn]

Here is one of my Dawn redwoods in the morning sun. It's just starting to turn red.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Great photo retrospective Dan. I was struck by how many dirt poor children there were, and the little girls in the textile mills were heartbreaking.

At the 43 second mark there is a caption on a photo "This is the boy that laid the bolt that threw 88 ..." . Does that refer to a train derailment or something?

The Accused - 1908
THIS IS THE BOY THAT LAID THE BOLT THAT THREW 38
Description: Buford, 1908. Louis Cooksie. Writing at bottom reads, "This is the boy that laid the bolt that threw 38." He thought the train was a fruit train and laid a bolt on the track to throw the train so he could help himself to the fruit. The train was actually carrying troops.
Cite as: Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Division of Archives and History, Office of Secretary of State.
Usage note: Contact repository re: reproduction and usage.
Held by: Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260

If you had a subscription to Dan's excellent magazine "Georgia Backroads," you would know exactly what the reference was..[;)]

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Back on the subject of trees. I am a realtor and love to show older homes in the DC area that have . It is worth stripping the paint off to show it off if you have it.

As for the red oaks and white oaks in our area, we are having serious issues with them. There is red oak decline which is causing many older trees to slowly die but more significant is that the exploding deer population is severely altering our old growth forest. The deer eat all of the young oak seedlings and they are not able to replace themselves. There is a looming disaster coming as a result and our politicians have no clue or don't care. A walk in the woods these days shows that beech trees are ascendant and the undergrowth trees seem to be all holly. The only good news is there is plenty of oak firewood around these days.

It's nice looking wood - Chestnut, especially if stained in a way that brings out it's natural color. Not modern toxic stains, but using "Old School" like a mixture of Linseed oil and beeswax which is nontoxic.

Chestnut trim on the interior

Can you tell if it's done by hand? I make molding using hand planes.

Mostly see it in homes built in the 20s and 30s. I suspect most of the trim was milled commercially by then. We have quite a few Sears and other kit homes in the region and a lot of them had Chestnut trim. Regrettably, most of it is painted over.

As for the Ginko. Washington DC is famous for its Ginko trees. They are very hardy and make for excellent urban treescape. DC is also one of the heaviest treed cities in the US. I think it is the female Ginko that stinks so much when it is releasing it fruit. Everybody complains about it. I don't think the DC government is planting Ginkos anymore. Not so much because of the smell but that they are more focused on planting native trees these days as replacements.

[crsutton]

http://georgiabackroads.com/issues/2016-winter.htm

[Canoerebel]

1/18/45

KB East: I love this screen shot. The inveterate raider rides again.

[Canoerebel]

1/18/45

Fancy Pants: Tough Superfort raid on Shimonoseki, as the Corsair decline to sweep. The Allied breakthrough into the northern plains is beginning to gather steam. The "Chinese Pocket" is beginning to take on the characteristics of a mop up operation. John isn't attack any more. His units are pretty much limited to guerilla tactics.

[Lecivius]

35 -29's? Ouch [:(]

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Loka is a bit off in two respects. Pin oak is a red oak. And, strictly speaking, it's not specific to say one has a "red oak" in his yard. There isn't a species called "red oak."

Oaks are divided into two major categories: white oaks and red oaks. Of the red oaks, there must be 25-30 species in the United States, perhaps a dozen or more growing in the eastern USA. The red oaks include southern, northern, scarlet, black, water, willow, laurel, live, Mitchell, pin, blackjack, cherrybark, turkey, shumard, chinquapin oak and chestnut oak species.

The white oak group includes white oak, post oak, swamp white oak, burr, overcup and several others.

Lumbermen do refer to oaks by their major groups. IE, they really don't distinguish between most of the red oaks. For them, the lumber is the same whether from black oak or southern red oak or scarlet oak. To them the wood/lumber is either "red oak" or "white oak."

That's taking it way beyond what anybody might care about, but the precision of botany is interesting (but only to those who love botany, I suppose).

Sorry, to be specific they're a northern red oak [:'(]. As a gleefully obnoxious pedant at times, I should've expected that, I guess. I was chopping off the front end, because the others aren't actually titled "red oak" so much as classified as being part of that kind of oaks. I'd have said "willow oak" if I meant willow oak from the red oak group, for example... I do have one of those as well.

I grew up with white oak and see a few out here. I prefer white oak acorns and the pointy nature of the red oak's leaves.

I do wish I had a recently dead white oak so I could get some nice free hardwood, though. I'm kind of sick of silver maple and I can't do anything with it except burn it - it's too soft.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Growing up there was only two Gingko trees around, every school child had to go to them for their leaf collection books around 4th grade.

Now they are very common. Very popular in Philly, as they don't need trimming much (if at all) and do well in less than ideal circumstances (poor air I have been told). So they line the streets all over and in parking lots. At least that is what I have been told...

Thankfully, I only actually run into these in DC. I don't like them - they stink like rot for a month or more in the late spring (if memory serves). The only plant-related smell I can say I would prefer smelling lilacs over is ginkgo stink.

ORIGINAL: obvert

Just to keep the tree convo going, there is an interesting deciduous tree also growing in China (thus the connection to the campaign). [:)]

I thought this was going to lead to the ailanthus tree. I have one of these, too - and I hate it because it's so damn invasive. At first I thought I liked it, because the leaves turn a nice yellow and I don't honestly mind the sumac-like stink if you rub against the leaves (just don't rub the leaves, silly)... but damn if it isn't almost impossible to get rid of if it's growing in a spot you don't want it to be. I'm chopping down saplings in the same spot every year because it does the whole sucker thing.

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Mostly see it in homes built in the 20s and 30s. I suspect most of the trim was milled commercially by then. We have quite a few Sears and other kit homes in the region and a lot of them had Chestnut trim. Regrettably, most of it is painted over.

Hrm. My neighborhood is full of these houses. Every single one of them that I've been inside (a few go-inside-your-neighbors'-houses events a year) has trim that's painted over. After consideration, I think mine was made to imitate the look because the shape of the door/window casings doesn't quite match all of the others, which are all pretty much the same.

I think there's a bungalow salvage joint up in Baltimore that sells reconditioned molding and trim from this time period and ostensibly from these houses as they are remodeled or demolished.

[Canoerebel]

1/19/45

KB East: Maniac.

[Canoerebel]

1/19/45

The Loyal Opposition.