1878.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



6?. 



life and enterprise in his business, and has the 

 good wishes of all in whatever he undertakes. 



H. E. Chitty. — This gentleman, formerly 

 superintendent of the Bellevue Company, of 

 Paterson, and well known to our readei's, has 

 commenced business for himself, as a florist, in 

 the same town. The Bellevue Company con- 

 tinue the old business as before. 



Dr. C. C. Parry. — This indomitable botan- 

 ical explorer is about to make a collecting tour 

 through Mexico. 



Col. M. p. Wilder. — It will please our read- 

 ers to learn that this veteran horticulturist is 

 still iu excellent health; at least we judge so 

 from the full account the Boston papers give of 

 his address before the recent annual meeting of 

 the New England Historical and (xenealogical 

 Society. 



Mr. Briggs, of Marysville. — Almost every 

 one who has followed the development of Califor- 

 nia fruit growing, is familiar with "Brigg's Peach 

 Orchard," at Marysville, one of the pioneers of 

 this branch of h-irticulture in California, and 

 will learn with regret of his decease, as we note 

 by a recent California paper. 



Thomas J. Mackenzie. — We regret to 

 announce the death of Mr. Thomas J. Mac- 

 kenzie, the well-known florist of Philadelphia, 

 who died on the 6th of January, in the 40th year 

 of his age. He was the only son of the late Mr. 

 Peter Mackenzie, who was one of the earliest 

 and most enterprising of Philadelphia florists, 

 to whose successful business the son succeeded. 

 Mr. Mackenzie was elected a member of the 

 of the City Council of Philadelphia last year, 

 and died on the day appointed for taking his seat 

 in .that body. 



Dr. J. P. Kirtlaxd. — It it to be expected 

 that, now its twentieth year, many of the earlier 

 friends of the Gardener's Monthly should be 

 passing away. Our venture liad no better frfend 

 than Dr. J. P. Kirtland, and, though full of 



years and honors, we learn of his decease with 

 profound regret. His private letters of encour- 

 agement were always welcome; and he loved 

 to dwell on the welcomeness of the Monthly,. 

 as reminding him of the tdty in which he 

 received his medical education. Tiie Mass. 

 Horticultural Society, ever alive to the honor of 

 Horticulture all over the Union, recently passed 

 resolutions of sorrow in his behalf, and we hope 

 to give in our next the preparatory remarks of 

 Col. Wilder,as a brief but excellent condensation 

 of the life and services of our deceased friend. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Floral Decorations.— A New York pub-^ 

 lisher very kindly sends the following note : 

 "Floral Decorations for the Dwelling House,"' 

 etc., by Annie Hazzard, "American edition re- 

 vised, London and New York, Macmillan & Co.. 

 Retail, :$1.75. In reply to Mrs. R., page 12, 

 Gardener's Monthly, Jan., 1878 : Not a bid for 

 a trade, as we don't have it." 



Shittim Wood. — Thoughtlessly, while writing 

 last month, we gave Acacia Farnesiana as the pro- 

 bable tree, which, as we are kindly reminded by a 

 correspondent, is a native of the New World. 

 If we had referred to works, instead of trusting 

 the memory, as we ought to have done, it would 

 have saved us the mistake. That an Acacia 

 really existed in Egypt seems to be proved by 

 the researches of Braun, as recentl}' translated 

 from the German in the Gardener's Chronicle.. 

 Bruce, in his Travels, remarks that "the Aca- 

 cia in theThebard seems to be the only indigen- 

 ous tree." Dr. Shaw, another Eastern traveler, 

 speaks of the Acacia as growing in Arabia Pe- 

 tra?a, and suggests that it may be the Shitiim 

 Wood. As we knew the Acacia grew there, and 

 that it agrees with accounts of the wood, it is 

 probably correct that the Acacia Nilotica, or 

 Acacia vera, of Wildenow, is the real Shittim 

 Wood. 



Horticultural Societies. 



COMMUNICA riONS. 



KANSAS STATE HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



BY H. E. VANDEMAN, GENEVA, KAN. 



Tlie eleventh annual meeting of this institu- 



! tion was held at Parsons, on the 11th. 12th, and 

 j 13th of December, 1S77. 



I Several gentlemen from Missouri, and a lady 

 j from Illinois, favored us with their presence, 

 I and participated in the exercises of the meeting. 

 ! Each year new recruits are enlisted, and we hope 

 the Societv's fleld of usefulness is enlarged. 



