Should I get the BX ..... Count me out... m On Tue, Oct 22, 2019 at 7:25 AM <jnvkbarnes@nc.rr.com> wrote: > Thank you for your comments...these will be most helpful as we move > forward. Should I get the BX (BSX my preference) job, all of your > suggestions would be met. We would have a BSX every 2 weeks (except > end of December and inclement weather...even then a notice would be > posted that the BSX was canceled and the reason for the cancellation), > the list would be posted on Sunday of the first and third weekends of > the month, there would be almost a week to make requests as the BSX > would close on Friday at midnight after the list of donations is > posted, donations would be equally divided among requestors and > equitably distributed by lottery except donors for that BSX would > receive priority, all donated material would be distributed the week > after the BSX closes, there would be no 'leftover' bulbs or seeds, and > information about number of requests would be available to anyone > interested. Thanks again...John > > PS: I could even help with cleaning seeds for the BSX for you J. > > -----------------------------------------From: "M Gastil-Buhl" > To: pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > Cc: > Sent: Monday October 21 2019 12:06:24PM > Subject: [pbs] Reorganizing the BX > > First, thank you to Albert for running the BX and SX. I value the PBS > BX > for varied reasons. First, I feel it connects us as a Society, as I > am a > firmly rooted plant person who does not travel myself but I like to > connect > with other plant people all over the globe. I put the seed or bulb > donor's > initials on the labels. Thank you all of you who have donated to the > BX and > SX. Secondly, I cannot bear to throw out seeds or cormels and my > neighbors > have no interest in waiting years to see a bloom. Thank you all who > have > given the little I sent to the BX a new home. I cannot imagine how > much > work it must be to run a BX! I can barely keep track of my own > repotting > and seed cleaning, record keeping and labeling. > > 1.1. Do you participate in the BX frequently, occasionally, or never? > > Occasionally > > 2.2. If you never participate, why not? > > 3.3. If you do participate, what problems, if any, have you had with > the BX? > > I was discouraged how much longer it took for bulblets to arrive, in > one > case at the end of its growing season. The turn-around time to see > donations appear in a BX seems long. But this is in comparison to the > Dell > era, so my expectations were skewed. > > 4.4. Do you obtain bulbs, seeds, or both from the BX? > > Both. More seeds than bulbs. > > 5.5. Do you pay your BX shipping charges promptly upon receiving the > material? > > Promptly, same or next day usually. > > 6.6. If you donate to the BX, at what time(s) of year do you send > items? > > I seldom donate, only once in 2019, bulbs and seed. The time was > determined > by dormancy of that bulb species, which has not yet appeared on a BX. > > 7.7. If the BX occurred at a few specific times of year, what times > would best suit your needs? > > July/Aug/Sep or late summer early autumn in N. hemisphere in time for > fall > planting of the winter rainfall growers here. I do not grow > summer-rain > species. November at the latest. For non-perishable seeds of course > timing > is more flexible. But for short-lived seeds I appreciated the > freshness of > frequent SX in the past. > > 8.8. Do you donate plant material to the BX that cannot be held in > storage for more than a week or two? If so, what kind of material? > > Never before, but had planned to send some Nerine filifolia seeds > ripening > now. These are easy growers for me so I can sow here and send next > year's > crop. I also considered sending some seed of my white Amaryllis > belladonna > mystery cross because of the recent discussion. > > 9.9. If you specialize in plants that cannot be held in storage, are > you > willing to exchange them directly with other members rather than > going > through the BX? > > No. I do not expect I could handle the logistics. And I do not > specialize > in those. > > 10.10. Do you think that donors should have priority in having their > orders filled? If not, why not? > > I do not expect that would push me to donate more. The limiting > factor is > seed-cleaning patience and time, not motivation. And others made a > good > point about first-timers needing some early success. I think one of > the > other societies does give donors priority so perhaps that helps > encourage > donations. > > I agree as others mentioned that transparency and accountability will > increase trust in the BX program. That would encourage me to donate > more > than priority or postage credit. Perhaps the new system could include > a > Wish List feature. If I saw folks were eager to receive my material > that > would motivate me. Perhaps not person-specific, but an aggregated > list. If > I saw 10 people wished for a species with hard-to-clean seed but 0 > people > wished for yet more Dierama, I would prioritize accordingly. Of > course a > Wish List feature is of lower priority than turning over donations > rapidly. > > If there were a place to send un-cleaned seed pods instead of clean > seed, I > would send more. > > I do suggest the BX/SX should still require PBS membership. > > Gastil > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…