Newark, DE 19711 - University of Delaware Library Institutional ...

I. What's growing on the arbor at the rear of the Miksch lot?
ANSWER: Hops (Humulus lupulus)
- perennial vine frequently planted by families in
Salem
- used in brewing beer and making bread
- vines die back each fall and begin growth in spring
from underground rhizomes
- vines grow quickly during spring and summer to
completely cover arbor
- flowering begins in mid-summer
- fruits ripen and ready for harvest in September
2. What was the function of the summerhouse in the Miksch garden?
ANSWER: - provided gardeners protection from sun and rain
- spot to rest and relax from labor
- pitched roof provided good ventilation to dry herbs
and flowers
- a summerhouse is noted on 1761 Hortus Medicus plan
at Bethabara, but no pictures or plans exist
- architectural detailing of the current re-created
summerhouse is purely conjectural
3. What is the bush growing on the south end of the Miksch
manufactory?
- ancient fruit associated with early civilizations
and gardens
- never mentioned in any of the gardening accounts
and records of Bethabara or Salem, but a fruit
widely planted by the colonists in the temperate
regions of the Middle Atlantic and upper south
- small pear-shaped fruit ripens in late summer;
eaten fresh or dried
ANSWER: - Fig (Ficus Carica)
4. What type of grapes are growing on fencelines in Salem?
ANSWER: 1) Catawba grapes on the rail fence at the back end of
the Miksch lot
- originated in the Catawba Rher area of Buncombe
County, NC, around 1820
- grapes develop in clusters
- good wine grape
2) Cultivars/varieties of Muscadine grape (Vitis
rotundi folia)
- grapes borne singly or in bunches of 3-5 grapes
- fruit is dull purple, tough-skinned
- grape has musky taste
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