February 10, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



103 



OBITUARY. 

 M. Ernest C. M. Fierens. 



Death has been very busy of late 

 among eminent European horticul- 

 turists. The gentleman whose demise 

 it is our sad duty now to record was a 

 man of world-wide fame for, as the 

 secretary of the Royal Agricultural 

 and Botanical Society of Ghent, he was 

 known and respected not only by those 

 numerous visitors to the great quin- 

 quennial horticultural shows that have 

 been held for so many years in the 

 quaint old Belgian town where he 

 lived, but also by other friends who 

 had the honor of his personal acquaint- 

 ance. Like his old friend and col- 

 league, M. de Meulenaere, who pre- 

 deceased him only by a few weeks, M. 

 Fierens was by profession a lawyer, 

 but yet found time to devote much 

 energy to the work of organizing the 

 great floral festivities for which Ghent 

 has so long been renowned. He was 

 also, an ardent amateur and a frequent 

 exhibitor. As a judge his services 

 were in constant request at home and 

 abroad, and the last time we had the 

 pleasure of meeting him was at the 

 chrysanthemum show of the French 

 N. C. S. at Lille in 1903. Although we 

 thought he had aged considerably 

 since our last meeting yet he was still 

 as of old, genial, courteous and hope- 

 ful of great things when his society 

 should celebrate its centenary in 1908, 

 active preparations for which are now 

 being made. 



M. Ernest Constant Marie Fierens, 

 to give him his full name, was a so- 

 licitor at the court of appeal at Ghent, 

 a knight of the Order of Leopold, an 

 officer of the Merite Agricole of France, 

 a distinction conferred upon him for 

 meritorious services in connection with 

 horticulture. He was also an honorary 

 member of several of the leading horti- 

 cultural societies in Europe. His 

 death occurred on the 19th January 

 last, in his 65th year. 



M. O. de Meulenaere. 



We have now to refer with pain 

 to the death of M. O. de Meulenaere of 

 Gendbrugge, a Belgian enthusiast in 

 horticulture and an exhibitor at most 

 of the famous Ghent Horticultural 

 gatherings. The deceased was a busy 

 man, the President of the Court of Ap- 

 peals at Ghent, but he found time for 

 the delights of horticulture. We re- 

 member with pleasure some of his very 

 fine exhibits of chrysanthemums 

 there, and also the service he rendered 

 to the cause of chrysanthemum nomen- 

 clature by his literary work. In 1890 

 he published his "Liste descriptive 

 des Chrysanthemes d'hiver," which 

 contained the names of all the varie- 

 ties then known and grown in Europe, 

 with raisers' names, dates of introduc- 

 tion, section and description. This 

 work was continued by the publication 

 of a supplement four years later, and 

 then came a second and a third sup- 

 plement, which brings us to the year 

 1898. It was largely a labor of love, 

 but the service to horticulture was 

 considerable, for it placed on record 

 particulars that could probably not 

 now be got together at all. As a 

 work of reference we even now have 

 frequent occasion to refer to it. 



M. de Meulenaere suffered from a 

 long and painful illness, and died at his 

 residence on December 7 last. He was 

 an honorary fellow of the National 



Chrysanthemum Society of England, 

 and held the society's silver gilt 

 medal for the work he accomplished 

 in preparing the catalogue already re- 

 ferred to. He was also commander of 

 the Order of Leopold and had several 

 other orders. C. HARMAN PAYNE. 



Mrs. A. D. Wood. 

 Mrs. A. D. Wood died at her home in 

 West Newton, Mass., on Feb. 5. Mrs. 

 Wood has been an invalid for a number 

 of years. Previous to her illness she 

 had been one of the most faithful at- 

 tendants at the meetings and exhibi- 

 tions of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society and was a constant ex- 

 hibitor, displaying much artistic taste 

 in the arrangement of flowers. Her 

 bright, amiable, kindly temperament 

 made her a great favorite with every- 

 one who knew her and sincere sym- 

 pathy has been extended during her 

 long illness by a host of friends, who 

 held her in affectionate esteem. Her 

 husband, E. W. Wood, is well known 

 as a member of the State Board of 

 Agriculture. One son, Elijah A., is 

 also well known as a chrysanthemum 

 expert, and another, W. K., represents 

 the Florists' Exchange at Chicago. 



Frank W. Dobbs. 

 Frank W. Dobbs, who has been as- 

 sociated with Wadley & Smith, as 

 manager of their New York store, died 

 at his home in Scarsdale-on-the-Hud- 

 son, on Feb. 6, aged 31 years. He was 

 a bright, popular young man, and his 

 untimely taking away is keenly felt 

 by a large circle of friends in the 

 trade. 



NEWPORT NOTES. 



We have in Newport a park com- 

 mission, the members of which are ap- 

 pointed by the Mayor. In the past the 

 commission was not overburdened 

 with a knowledge of things horticul- 

 tural — not their fault, however — but 

 His Honor the Mayor of today is a 

 member of the Newport Horticultural 

 Society, and that is enough to lead us 

 to think that when a vacancy occurs a 

 horticulturist will be asked to fill it. 



The following three estates in New- 

 port are undergoing complete renova- 

 tion: Mrs. John Nicholas Brown's, 

 Mr. W. S. Wells' and Mr. George Gor- 

 don King's. At Mrs. Brown's the 

 most important feature will be hardy 

 plants and extensive shrubberies. At 

 Mr. Wells' the purchase of the adjoin- 

 ing estate made it necessary to re- 

 model the whole, which is being effect- 

 ed by the moving of very large trees. 

 A continuous terrace will be construct- 

 ed around three sides of the residence, 

 upon which choice evergreens and box 

 will be planted. At Mr. King's the work 

 chiefly consists of providing vistas 

 through the many large and beautiful 

 trees, and bordering all the grounds 

 with shrubberies. 



AN ENDORSEMENT FOR MY 

 MARYLAND. 



We have received through H. Weber 

 & Son copy of a letter from a cus- 

 tomer who had received a few plants 

 of carnation My Maryland on trial. 

 These plants, which were from late 

 propagated stock and not large when 

 delivered in September last, have 

 thrived and are declared to be the 

 strongest growers in the establishment, 

 with an exceptional production of 

 high-grade blooms. 



A WORD FROM PRESIDENT 

 FISHER. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



In your issue of last week I note 

 your editorial commenting on a quota- 

 tion from the Florists' Exchange 

 wherein my remark as to the "ex- 

 hibiting of worthless carnations at the 

 A. C. S. meetings is a menace" to its 

 progress and usefulness, is grossly 

 misconstrued. 



First let me say that few carnation 

 growers in this country interpreted 

 my meaning as trying to "down" or 

 belittle the efforts of the small grower. 

 Quite the contrary. My protest was 

 entered in behalf of this class who 

 are usually the sufferers. The "big 

 fellows" usually go around and buy on 

 their own judgment. But the rank 

 and file usually invest in a novelty, 

 from an estimate of what they hear or 

 read of its commercial value. A car- 

 nation may be almost perfect during 

 the fall and early winter and again 

 from March on, but simply worthless 

 during late December, January and 

 February, and when any introducer 

 discovers a variety developing such de- 

 fects, he has no right to impose upon 

 the trade by disseminating it and hid- 

 ing this fault. This is what I meant 

 in my address when I stated: "Which 

 the exhibitor well knows will not 

 stand inspection in his greenhouses at 

 this season of the year." 



I have always considered myself 

 one of the "small growers," and my 

 endeavor shall be to increase their 

 number in our membership, not de- 

 tract from it. 



Later I shall have something more 

 to say on this matter, which I consider 

 id' the most vital importance not only 

 to tlie well being of the American Car- 

 nation Society but to every carnation 

 mower. PETER FISHER. 



Ellis, Mass., Feb. 7, 1906. 



NEWS NOTES. 



The Hinode Florist Company, New 

 York, has incorporated, with capital of 



Mrs. May Fisher, of the firm of 

 Fisher & Son, will hereafter do busi- 

 ness in her own name at 537 Main 

 St., Worcester, Mass. 



E. H. Hunt, Chicago, has incorporat- 

 ed, with capital stock of $40,000. 

 The incorporators are C. M. Dickinson, 

 William E. Lynch and Edgar A. Buz- 

 zell. 



Mr. William Scott, for many years 

 foreman for Poehlmann Bros, at their 

 greenhouses at Morton Grove, 111., has 

 purchased a half interest in the busi- 

 ness of William Cunningham of Grand 

 Rapids, Mich., and the new firm will 

 be ready for business about March 

 first. 



At the meeting of the New York 

 Florists' Club on Monday evening, 

 February 12, carnations and orchids 

 will be the objects of special interest, 

 and a fine exhibition is promised. 

 The following cash prizes will be 

 offered for carnations: Best 25 blooms 

 in four distinct varieties, first, $15; 

 second, $10: third, $5: best 25 blooms 

 displayed, $5. 



How big are the blooms of that car- 

 nation seedling you are fondly cher- 

 ishing? Send to Kroeschell Bros., 35 

 Erie street, Chicago, for one of their 

 measuring devices. Ingenious, unim- 

 peachable, and may be had for thft 

 asking. 



