1933 "all nine yards"

[Baker, John M.]

        Stephen, thanks for checking into this.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Stephen Goranson
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 8:30 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: 1933 "all nine yards"

Though I do not suppose this is directly related to "the whole nine
yards" origin, and though Sam gave much of the relevant text, here, if
any are stiinterested, is more from (a photocopy of)
Another gardener's bed-book :
a second crop of short and long pieces for those who garden by day and
read by night /
Richardson Little Wright
1933
English Book Book xii, 13-336 p. 19 cm.
Philadelphia ; London : J.B. Lippincott company,  page 285. November 6
entry:

6. MECONOPSIS YARDAGE. Up to the moment of writing this paragraph my
clippings from the horticultural press of America, England, France and
Germany on the subject of Meconopsis, laid end to end, measure nine
yards, five and two-thirds inches. This literature is almost as
confusing as the opinion on Lupins. Horticulturally speaking, I have
tried less than three and a half yards of the advice and can report
progress only up to the seedling stage. At that point I confess defeat.
By the time I have followed all nine yards of suggestions, I expect
Meconopsus will be as common around this place as Calendulas or
Crabgrass. Of several necessary conditions I am certain--that the seed
should be reasonably fresh, that the soil in which it is sown should be
mostly screened leaf mold on the acid side and sand, and [end of page
285]

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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