Letters to the Editor
Millie Appreciated
Dear Bay Weekly:
You did a nice job on Millie Moore [Appreciation, Vol. XI, No. 21, May 22]. I don’t think I’ve read a sweller lead paragraph ever in Bay Weekly.
— Peter Chapman, Galesville
Editor’s note: Chapman, who knew his way around at Billy Jac’s, wrote on Millie’s bar — $100 in pennies under Plexiglas — for Spinsheet.
We Get All Kinds of Questions
Dear Bay Weekly:
How would I go about finding out how deep the water is off a specific piece of shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay? I took a long Sunday drive a couple of weeks ago and came across a piece of property for sale. It’s located at Point Lookout, the southernmost tip of the Western Shore. I am curious about how deep the water is on the beach and how quickly it drops drop off into deeper water there. Swimming safety is my concern.How can I find out this information or do you know how deep it runs?
— Ja Franklin • [email protected]
Editor’s reply: Go to a marine chart. The big two, both complied into books, are the ADC Chesapeake Bay Chart Book or the Maryland Cruising Guide, which is produced right here in Chesapeake Country by Mickey Courtney. Both are developed from NOAA charts, which are sold in sheets rather than books. Find a range of charts at most boating stores.
Like ADC maps do with land, the Bay will be divided into grids, each representing a geographic section. First find the grid that charts your waters. Water depth is charted from shore to channel, but you’ll have to read the instructions to learn how the chart you choose answers your question.
Dear Bay Weekly:
A few years ago I bought seedlings from the Wye Oak, but now I am moving and would like to have a couple more Wye oaks. Can you help? Is there any way I can grow cuttings from my trees? I bought my seedlings from a nursery in Harmons, Md.
— [email protected]
Editor’s reply: Our source on Wye oaks is Dr. Francis Gouin — horticulturist and professor emeritus, University of Maryland — who propagated clones of the historic tree.
He says that no Wye Oak seedlings remain available. The Wye Oak stopped producing acorns in 2000 and was blown over by a storm on June 6, 2002. It is not possible to root cuttings of the Wye Oak.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources is in the process of establishing an orchard from the Wye oak clones that Gouin propagated by grafting, and seedlings of the Wye oak should become available in about 10 years. Hopefully by then local nurseries will be propagating clones of the Wye Oak under the National Heirloom Tree Series.
Gouin is also working with commercial nurseries interested in growing clones of Grand Champion Trees — including the Wye Oak — for a National Heirloom Series.
We welcome your letters and opinions. We will edit when necessary. Include your name, address and phone number for verification. Mail them to Bay Weekly, P.O. Box 358, Deale, MD 20751 • E-mail them to us at [email protected].
