Mother Nature is breeding fungi a lot faster than we are breeding roses. Just curious, Henry, do you ever go out in your garden and just enjoy it? Do you have a garden? Send us some pictures...no research papers required.

The following was asked:

"Just curious, Henry, do you ever go out in your garden and just enjoy it? Do you have a garden? Send us some pictures...no research papers required."
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H.Kuska comments:
My web page is at: http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/

I was one of the founders of the American Rose Society web page. Please see my article: "Roses on the Internet" pages 87-89, The American Rose Annual, 1996.

Some of my hybridized roses are listed on Help-Me-Find.

My contributions to rose hybridizing can be found by searching the Rose Hybridizers Association Forum.

For some time I held the ARS title of something like Consulting Rosarian for Scientific Studies.

Because of my interest in the history of roses, I served 2 terms on the ARS historical rose committee. (At one time I had a collection of old rose books, U.S., Canadian, and British Annuals about as complete as anyone that I have met.)

From "The Old Rose Advisor" by Brent Dickerson:
"Page xi
Special assistance in various particulars pertaining to the second edition was provided by Paul Barden, Philippe Gautreau, Henry Kuska, William Grant, Sandy Brown, Robert B. Martin ]r., Karl King, John Starnes ]r., Ingrid Verdegem, Jill Perry, Daniel Lemonnier, Donna Stewart, and Barbara Tchertoff......"
, ...". The above quote is from:
http://books.google.com/books?id=OTMORC9Sa5oC&pg=PR11&dq=%22old+rose+advisor%22+kuska&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cMkQVJTcIs-zyASvj4KACg&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22old%20rose%20advisor%22%20kuska&f=false

I was twice President (the legal limit) of our local Rose Society.

For a number of years (4 to 6?) I was the editor of the Akron Rose Rambler. A monthly newsletter with an (including international) subscription list of over 200.

I am now 77 with both my wife and I having relatively severe health problems so my rose growing has shrunk from about 1000 roses to about 60.

Here is a link that might be useful: link to my web page

This post was edited by henry_kuska on Wed, Sep 10, 14 at 18:11

What a fascinating and helpful history of contributions to rosarians everywhere.

A bit OT, but I am about 7 years younger than you, with an extensive collection of books on all subjects, including gardening [my gardening collection not being anywhere near as specialized as yours, though].

I have been wondering what would be the best way to downsize my book collection in a way that would make maximum use of the books I no longer want.

Did you find any methods of doing that which you feel were satisfactory?

On the subject of mold and fungi, it seems that good information is hard to come by-- possibly because much of it is proprietory? The article is interesting, but springs up like a confusing oasis in the middle of an information desert on the subject.

Even when I search in Amazon (probably not the best place to seek specialty scientific books) all I can usually find are books on mushrooms... Very frustrating; it is a subject I would like to better understand.

Even more chilling, perhaps, is the studied lack of interest in the contribution of parasites to dermatological problems and such medical issues as fibromyalgia...an issue of special interest to gardeners, especially in deer areas.

What I did for part of mine is to donate the rose books to rose societies for their fund raising auctions.

That's a good idea--I was a member of an organization that had auctions like that. I will do that.

Now if I could just find a rose that will grow in shade without powdery mildew or blackspot....

:o/

Sorry to hear of your wife's poor health, Henry. You have all our thoughts and well wishes. Your 60 roses must be beautiful, but how to choose 60 out of 1000? Was it hard or a relief to let go of so many?

Your background is impressive. Wish I could have posted questions to you when I was taking Organic Chemistry (It wasn't my best subject).

Bonnie

Below is a link to a thread that discusses the roses that made the cut to 61. A number of them (probably most) were chosen not for beauty of the flower but for the unusual mixture of genes which may be useful for future breeding. The link leads to two pages of comments (25 in all). The arrow in the lower right takes one to the second page.

http://rosebreeders.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=46868&p=46900&hilit=kuska+60#p46860

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to 61 roses thread

Wow, I like the red on this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Henry's Red

Henry,

Do you ever wonder if the exposure to chemicals in your early years of rose gardening (assuming you sprayed like everyone was expected to do) have had any effect on your current health?

My parents were early in the "Organic" movement and I have to wonder just how much of that effected their health. I hope to be as able to try and keep up as my almost 92 year old mom.

One season, I did try using a hand sprayer with Wilt Pruf as an experiment on a few of my roses. But otherwise it was a no spray garden as was my parents garden (my dad graduated in 1920 from the agriculture school of The University of Nebraska (World War I service delayed). He then became the equivalent of an agriculture extension agent, then a high school teacher of agriculture. My mother's parent's farm was a Wisconsin dairy farm. Their main crops were milk, hay and glacier rocks. They both came from the same area of southern Bohemia where rose growing was in their ancestor's blood. I do not recall any dangerous chemical spraying in my grandparents' farms / my parents' gardens. (The 100 acre Nebraska farm was run like the farms in Bohemian.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my father, Univ of Nebraska

Interesting history Henry!