284 



THE GARDENER'S MOXTJILY 



Sjscptcmbcr, 



Honru iLTrKK in Maryi.ani>.— The Amtri- 

 cnn Farmer M' nalliinoio.lms rcci-iilly <;ivi'ii an ex- 

 colli'iit ati'oiint ol tlu' pruirress of Ilortic-ultiirc in 

 Marvlaiul, from tlio pt'ii of our ('stcrincd rorrcs- 

 pondc'iit Captain Snow. So nuicli of what he 

 rt'ftTs to is of national as wtll as Unal fame, 

 \vt' have been permitted to transfer the paper to 

 onr maLrazine : 



"That thi' popular taste and deiiiaiid for (lowers 

 and llowerintr plants has kept pace with tliis 

 progress, at least in and near Baltimore, seems 

 demonstrated by the urowth in numbers and 

 extent of the commereial establishments, which 

 supjily our own people, as well as ship largely j 

 to distant points. 



Xo less significant is the disposition, now so 

 common among private citizens, not only to j 

 enlarge their plant-houses, but to give them fea- 

 tures of architectural etfect, for the better display 

 of the rich treasures which they accumulate 

 from the vegetable world. The erection of such 

 imposing and costly structures as the conserva- 

 tories recently built by Mr. W. W. Spence and 

 Mr. W. H. Perot; the maintenance of extensive 

 ranges like those at Clifton; the constant additi- 

 ons to the area of glass-houses of Messrs. Rasin 

 and Shoemaker, and others, and the increasincf 

 number of less pretentious but no less interest- 

 ing conservatories and green-houses, both in 

 town and country, all testify that the love of 

 plants and flowers, and of their culture, is extend- 

 ing on every hand. 



Our purpose here is, however, to speak of the 

 great and rapid extension in this community of 

 the business of selling plants and flowers; and 

 to illustrate it by some facts which we have 

 gained from various sources. 



After the war of 1812-15, the first person in 

 the city of Baltimore to oflier for sale flowers 

 and garden plants, was a German, by name 

 Heuisler, who was located on the Philadelphic'i 

 road, near the then city limits. Nearly cotenv- 

 poraneous with him was Mr. Booth,who possess- 

 ed, probably, the first nursery, occupying the 

 ground now bounded by Baltimore and Pratt 

 streets, and facing on Schroeder.whence were sold 

 trees, plants and flowers. Mr. Booth died in 

 1817. About this date, or shortly afterwards, 

 James Wilkes, a Scotchman, and John Bastain, 

 a Frenchman, had establishments on Lexington 

 street, each selling from a general collection of 

 plants. 



In 1823, Samuel and John Feast, located on 

 the Frederick road, cultivating trees, plants and 



vegetables, and they were the first to oiler plants 

 for sale in the )»ul)lic markets of Baltimore. 

 From this beginning the business has so grown 

 that in every section of the city and on the roads 

 leading into it from all directions there are com- 

 mercial growers enga>:ed in the production of 

 plants and flowers. The number now in the 

 trade, within the territory mcjisured by a radius 

 of seven miles from the City Hall, if we are 

 correctly informed, reaches very nearl}' one 

 hundred and iv:enty establishments. We have 

 a partial list of the names of the parties now com- 

 posing till' liade, but from the difficulty of 

 making it (oniijlete, we are unable to publish 

 it, as we had in contemplation, though we may 

 do so at some future time. It is not only in the 

 number of florists that I'altimore has been con- 

 spicuous, but she has achieved distinction by the 

 intelligence and zeal in the production of new 

 and improved varieties of numerous flowers. 



The well-known Prairie Roses, — Queen of the 

 Prairies and Baltimore Belle, — were raised by 

 Samuel and John Feast, and constituted, at. that 

 time an entirely new class, perfectly hardy and 

 vigorous, of fine form and color, and though lack- 

 ing in fragrance, long without a rival for pillars, 

 &c. In 184G, the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society awarded to Samuel Feast its gold medal 

 for the production of these roses, — an honor 

 rarely bestowed. 



Edward Kurtz, an amateur florist who still 

 lives, with his zest for horticultural pursuits un- 

 abated, exhibited in 1836 his seedlintr Camellia 

 Kurtzii, which was followed by numerous others, 

 some of them of excellent form and substance, 

 equalling many imported varieties. He also 

 originated a number of seedling Azaleas, which 

 probably equal any in cultivation. Some plants 

 of these varieties, in supurl) bloom were awarded 

 at the last show of our Horticultural Society, 

 one of its Certificates of Merit, only threeof which 

 have been issued. 



Zebulon Waters, alsoan amateur, now no more, 

 but whose love for and knowledge of plants is 

 well remembered, produced many fine Camellias, 

 some of the finest of wkich went out with 

 numbers onh' attached. His Globe Carnation 

 and Double Scarlet Multiflora are unique. 



Samuel Feast also paid much attention to the 

 Camellia, and his Feastii, Fair Ellen, Jack 

 Downing, Mary Edmundson, Eliza Schroeder 

 and others, are well worthy of cultivation. 



Two other Camellias of conspicuous merit 

 were produced in Baltimore — Weaverii, a splen— 



