1878,] 



AND HORriCULTURIST. 



127 



regions. No man, says a friend, has done more 

 in the last twenty-two years in the promulgation 

 of choice, hardy fruits than Mr. Bryant, for which 

 his name will be honored in our north-eastern 

 lioundaries. His success in grafting the apple 

 on the crab stock, to prevent injuries by frost, 

 and the planting of large orchards of the crab 

 varieties, and other very hardy apples, is well 

 known. He was also much engaged in stock 

 raising, especially of fine horses, possessing nine 

 farms, and at the time of his defith, large nurser- 

 ies of fruit trees. He was a benevolent man, 

 having made donations for schools, orphan 

 chiklren, etc., and his loss was much deplored. 



Dr. Edwin S. Hull, of Alton, Illinois, was 

 bora in Connecticut, May, 1810, and died at his 

 residence Nov. 8, 1875. In 1844 he removed to 

 tlie famous Hull farm, near Alton. He planted 

 large orchards of fruit trees and soon became a 

 leader in this line. As frequently is the case in 

 new enterprises, he met with disappointments in 

 his culture, but, never discouraged, he contended 

 with the evils of insects, blight, etc., ever looking 

 forward to better results which made him an au- 

 thority on such subjects He gave much study 

 to the character and depredation of insects, espe- 

 cially the curculio, and invented methods for its 

 destruction. He wrote extensively on the causes 

 of pear blight, and his efforts by root-pruning to 

 prevent it. He aided largely in founding the 

 Alton Horticultural Society, of which he was 

 President ; was State Pomologist ; a member of 

 our Committee on Foreign Fruits for 1807 and 

 '(18, and President of the Illinois State Horticul- 

 tural Society , and for several years was horticultu- 

 ral editor of the Prairie Farmer. Many of us will 

 remember how courteousl}', as President of the 

 Illinois Horticultural Society, he welcomed us 

 at Chicago two years since, when he said, ''these 

 meetings bring us together from the North, 

 South, East, West, and British Provinces, to form 

 friendships stronger than any political ties," 

 and expresse(i the hope that at no distant day 

 we should meet again. These hopes were blasted, 

 for in a few weeks he passed into the spirit 

 world. 



Daniel Wadsworth Coit, at the time of his 

 decease, was the oldest person who had held 

 m(Mnl)ership or office in our Society. He was 

 born in Norwich, Conn., in 1787, and died in that 

 city on the 18th of July, 1870, in the 90th year of 

 his age, under the majestic elms where his widow 

 now resides. Early in life he was engaged 

 in New York in commercial pursuits, and highly 

 respected as a merchant. In 18l!> he went to 

 Peru, where he resided for some seven years, in 

 ])usiness relations with England, America and 

 Spain, having more than once crossed the Andes, 

 visiting the mountains and the ruined cities of the 

 Incas. He repeatedly visited Europe and ])artic- 

 ularly Spain, in whose schools of art he took a 

 great interest. In 1840 he returned to his native 

 homc! ; Init just before the breaking out of the 

 war with Mexico he went to that city, where he 

 was established in business for awliile. From 

 Mexico he went by way of Acapulco to Califor- 

 nia, where he was for some years engaged in 



business. On his return to his home at Norwich, 

 he devoted the remainder of his life to horticul- 

 tural pursuits with as muth energy and enterprise 

 as he had given to mercantile affairs. As a cul- 

 tivator of fruits and flowers he was one of the 

 most scientific and successful of our times, 

 proving all of the novelties and retaining onh' 

 those in his opinion most worthy. He was 

 formerly Chairman of the Fruit Committee for 

 Connecticut. His good taste and discrimination 

 made him an authority in the selection of the 

 finest fruits. Mr. Coit was somewhat distin- 

 guished as an artist, and during his wanderings 

 exercised his skill in making slvctches which are 

 of great merit. These, together with those which 

 he had collected in Europe and America, he left 

 to his family, among which are views in Lima 

 and Mexico, the ruined cities of the Incas, of the 

 Cordilleras, and especially sketches of San Fran- 

 cisco, then only a group of rough huts. His j^kill 

 he retained to the close of life, and his works are 

 prized not onl}^ as mementoes but as works of 

 art. 



Dr. John Skillin Houghton, of Philadelphia, 

 was born in Dedham. Mass., Oct. 18, 1816, and 

 died suddenly in Philadelphia, Dec. 11, 187G. 

 Dr. Houghton was an active worker in the field 

 of pomology and horticulture, and was chairman 

 of the State Committee for Pennsylvania from 

 1809 to 1873. For many years he was a zealous 

 experimenter in fruit culture, and although he 

 failed to make it profitable he exerted an influ- 

 ence that was widely felt. His pear orchard 

 consisted at one time of many thousand trees. 

 He experimented extensively on the cutting and 

 pinching-in system with pears, for the production 

 of fruit, even at the expense of the vitality of the 

 trees. He was a great worker and an invalua- 

 ble member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural 

 Society — full of enterprise, energy and despatcli 

 — andliis death was much regretted. 



Nor can I close this record without recogniz- 

 ing the sudden death of one of our members at 

 Chicago, whither he went to attend our meeting. 

 I allude to Mr. Samuel H. Colton, delegate from 

 the Worcester Horticultural Society of ^lassa- 

 chusetts, who died at the Grand Pacific Hotel iia 

 that city on the 13th day of September, 1870. 

 Mr. Colton was largely interested in horticultu- 

 ral pursuits, and formerly in the nursery business. 

 He was an influential member of the above 

 named society, and for many years its treasurer. 

 He took great pleasure in discussing and dissem- 

 inating native fruits, was a freijuent correspond- 

 ent of horticultural journals, and for some years 

 editor of the Massachusetfs Spi/. He was also a 

 director in the Quinsigamond Bank, and treas- 

 urer of the People's Fire Insurance Company, 

 and was a gentleman of sterling worth, most 

 amiable in his disposition, and upright in all the 

 relations of life. 



Thus, three Vice-Presidents, and three others 

 who have held official rt^lations. have been re- 

 moved sisice our last meeting. They have gone 

 before us, their ])laces have been made vacant, 

 and are now filled by others. How long we shall 

 remain, is only known to Him who holds the 



