BCSS

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Pd1973
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BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

I registered on the BCSS forum and paid for the membership, but I did not receive an activation link, nor did I receive a confirmation of membership. Does anyone know what the procedure is?
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

Two minutes after publishing the post on the forum, I received an email that I had become a BCSS member. Incredibly. I was already worried, because it has been a few days since my payment. Unfortunately, Croatia is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have a national society of lovers and growers of succulents and cacti.
DaveW
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Re: BCSS

Post by DaveW »

If you have any problems regarding BCSS Membership, just email the Membership Secretary. I am not on the BCSS forum now, but if I remember correctly you have to register there just as you did here. However whilst the BCSS Society and Journal are subscription members only, the BCSS Forum just like this one is open to all, Society members or not.
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anttisepp
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Re: BCSS

Post by anttisepp »

Pd1973 wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:06 pmUnfortunately, Croatia is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have a national society of lovers and growers of succulents and cacti.
Not few I think. For my sorry we here in Finland also haven't society as e.g. Portugal hasn't. :( Facebook communities usually unite mostly very unexperienced beginners with endless galleries of etiolated cacti and asks to identify them. :mrgreen:
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Aiko
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Re: BCSS

Post by Aiko »

Time to start up the National Croatian Succulent Society and the National Finnish Succulent Society...!
DaveW
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Re: BCSS

Post by DaveW »

Not sure it is up to date and all links are still live, but Cactus Mall carries a list of most of the world's Cactus & Succulent Societies or Clubs. Some are simply branches of the country's main society, but some independent clubs.

http://www.cactus-mall.com/clubs.html
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

Today, I received a package...
So, the package includes a membership card, quarterly Journals for March and June: CactusWorld, set of cultivation leaflets (which can also be downloaded for free in pdf format and contains very useful information for beginners) and cool sticker.
CactusWorld Journal is superbly edited with excellent articles and beautiful pictures, I didn't subscribe to Bradleya yearbook (which I sincerely regret now, but I will make up for it when I renew my subscription in January, next year).
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Tom in Tucson
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Re: BCSS

Post by Tom in Tucson »

anttisepp wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:18 am
Pd1973 wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:06 pmUnfortunately, Croatia is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have a national society of lovers and growers of succulents and cacti.
Not few I think. For my sorry we here in Finland also haven't society as e.g. Portugal hasn't. :( Facebook communities usually unite mostly very unexperienced beginners with endless galleries of etiolated cacti and asks to identify them. :mrgreen:
I know that this comment is off topic, but I couldn't resist agreeing with you about the Facebook comments. I avoid Facebook like 'the plague'. I have an account only by necessity, and for its convenience.
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

Tom in Tucson wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:22 pm
anttisepp wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:18 am
Pd1973 wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:06 pmUnfortunately, Croatia is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have a national society of lovers and growers of succulents and cacti.
Not few I think. For my sorry we here in Finland also haven't society as e.g. Portugal hasn't. :( Facebook communities usually unite mostly very unexperienced beginners with endless galleries of etiolated cacti and asks to identify them. :mrgreen:
I know that this comment is off topic, but I couldn't resist agreeing with you about the Facebook comments. I avoid Facebook like 'the plague'. I have an account only by necessity, and for its convenience.
i also avoid facebook :D
DaveW
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Re: BCSS

Post by DaveW »

I think you can subscribe to Bradlea at any time of the year if you email the Membership Secretary. The American Society has a similar yearbook called Haseltonia and I think the German Society has something similar for usually more scientific advanced lengthy articles that are not usually of general interest to beginners. Back numbers for those not out of print are available.

https://society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/bradleya.html

https://cssa.myshopify.com/collections/haseltonia

The problem is always if the media, be it social or publications, gets too elementary it tends to drive out the more experienced who also wish to continue to learn, and these are the ones needed to answer the newcomers' questions. Therefore, forums and journals have to navigate a middle line between the two in order to hold both groups of enthusiasts. As you show Cactus World solved that problem by including leaflets intended for beginners on joining to avoid having to repeatedly publish the same basic information every year in the Journal.

You can search the Web for forums and will note that some cater mainly for the inexperienced or casual growers (often using common rather than botanical names) whilst others tend to cater for the more experienced. Never been on social media, guess I am just antisocial! LOL

There are some free to download Journals now appearing and they often contain links to other free publications. Cactus Explorers in the UK often makes past and present publications available.

https://www.cactusexplorers.org.uk/

http://www.cactusexplorers.org.uk/journal6.htm

The French Cactus Pro is a great organisation for providing online reading, or the ability to download many classic reference works and journals. Often if you are researching a plant, you only need to download the relevant pages rather than the whole work provided you have a reference from another source, The flags against the articles show the language they are printed in. And yes, it's the British flag for English because we invented the language not the Americans! LOL

https://www.cactuspro.com/biblio/en:accueil

A general free downloadable publication is the Cactus & Succulent Review for beginners as well as the more advanced. Back issues are available on the green strap.

https://www.cactusandsucculentreview.org.uk/
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

I think that after years of growing cacti, all publications make sense, whether they are journals, books for beginners, or the latest botanical editions for those who want to know more.
My favorite publication is Taxonomy of the Cactacea, Joel Lode Vol. I and Vol. II and I can't wait for Vol. III and Vol. IV. to be published.
And Cactus Explorer, Cactus and Suculent Review are an indispensable part of my daily life, that's why I especially look forward to CactusWorld editions.
Perhaps, one of the best publications and my favorite is Xerophilia ( https://xerophilia.ro/ ).
DaveW
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Re: BCSS

Post by DaveW »

The main problem for printed publications these days, along with enhanced printing costs, is postage and shipping. The American Journal over the years has gradually reduced from the 12 original journals per year to 6 over most of its life, but now four larger issues due to this reason. Particularly for delivery overseas.

Again, things like the massive 32 volume Encyclopaedia Britanica that were needed when printed out now go on a few DVD's that are searchable and only half the price of the printed edition. Also, the electronic version can be far more quickly and cheaply updated than the printed version.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Encycl ... igital-era

In future I think we will see many more publications and books go online due to printing and postage costs, being sold on DVD's or memory sticks rather than printed with obviously what is the latest electronic medium

I too have Joel Lode's books and hope we see the next volumes, but will these be available just printed or on DVD's or memory sticks by then? Some of the Cactus Societies also sell their old publications on CD far cheaper than the printed versions would cost originally. I have a full set of the American Journals from the start, and they take up half a wardrobe and must weigh many hundredweights. The DVDs would take up hardly any room at all and weigh very little.

https://cssa.myshopify.com/collections/dvds

https://mammillaria.net/index.php/socie ... als-on-dvd

No doubt there are now others using electronic media for back numbers too.
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

The problem with DVD is that most new laptops don't have a DVD reader, including mine. And I'm not a supporter of DVDs because the cost of postage is just as unacceptable as with printed editions, but the possibility of downloading, like with e-readers such as Amazon kindle, is what I would most like to see, especially with specialized publications that, due to their nature, have a higher price.
Of course, the digitization of publications is the best solution, because unlike paper editions, it offers the possibility of inserting far more high-resolution images and recorded films. Digitization also enables faster editing with new information, correction of errors and more.
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One Windowsill
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Re: BCSS

Post by One Windowsill »

Aiko wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:15 pm Time to start up the National Croatian Succulent Society and the National Finnish Succulent Society...!
If you are starting from scratch, perhaps consider the Croatian Desert Plants Society, etc. It is still not a perfect description but it might save you from having to define what a succulent is and trying to exclude cabbages and celery.
Pd1973
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Re: BCSS

Post by Pd1973 »

One Windowsill wrote: Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:39 pm
Aiko wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:15 pm Time to start up the National Croatian Succulent Society and the National Finnish Succulent Society...!
If you are starting from scratch, perhaps consider the Croatian Desert Plants Society, etc. It is still not a perfect description but it might save you from having to define what a succulent is and trying to exclude cabbages and celery.
First of all, we don't have deserts in Croatia, so the desert definitely falls out of the title of society. Secondly, our language allows for numerous versions, but grammatically Croatian should be in the last position, although it could also go with the adjective Croatian in the first place, but grammatically it is not the most correct. Third, Croatia, although a small country has several climate zones, in mine, unfortunately, cabbage plants do not do well, so it would be difficult for someone to get confused and associate cabbage and celery with succulents. When it comes to succulents, we have quite a number of them, and some of them are endemic. We are not so rich with cacti, but quite a number of Opuntia grow quite normally on the coast and islands, like weeds.
If a society is ever founded, the simplest thing would be to call it the Society of Succulent Lovers of Croatia (that would be a literal translation into English). Although, I am more interested in cacti, although I also like other succulents, but in a country where less than 4 million people live, it is difficult to gather a group of people who would show interest in only one group of succulents.
It is also an advantage that one third of the country has extremely good conditions for growing cacti, considering the number of sunny days and the climate. Unfortunately, I live in a location that has more rainy days than London and is one of the rainiest places in the world. But somehow I manage to grow a few cacti, I don't really do well with cabbage and celery.
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