February 20, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



245 



OBITUARY. 



William Findlay. 

 William Findlay, who for many 

 years was widely known as a fruit 

 grower, died rather suddenly at his 

 home in Newport, R. I., Feb. 12, from 

 diseases incident to old age. Mr. 

 Findlay was born in Largo, Fifeshire, 

 Scotland, in ]83], served his garden- 

 ing apprenticeship under his father in 

 that neighborhood and afterward 

 worked as a journeyman at Dalmeny 

 Park, the residence of Lord Rosebery. 

 Coming to this country in 1854 he 

 settled in Newport, R. L, where he 

 spent the remainder of his life, his 

 first position being in charge of the 

 estate known as "Belair" which was 

 owned by a Mr. White, and is now 

 the property of Mrs. G. H. Nor-man. 

 Several years later Mr. Findlay hired 

 the greenhouses at the estate of the 

 late Governor Lawrence, and engaged 

 in the fruit growing business, also 

 raising large quantities of grape 

 vines of the European varieties, 



William Findlay 



which he shipped to California,- where 

 there was a great demand for them 

 at that time. In 1873 Mr. Findlay 

 built the large range of fruit houses 

 that still stand on Gibbs avenue and 

 it was here that he raised the choice 

 grapes, nectarines, peaches and out- 

 door musk melons that made him 

 famous as a fruit grower. When this 

 establishment was in full swing it was 

 the custom of many of the wealthy 

 Newport people to drive in their car- 

 riages there to see the fruit and buy 

 their supplies. About this period 

 rose growing under glass was just be- 

 ing considered as a possible paying 

 business so Mr. Findlay wishing to 

 test the method reserved a part of 

 his houses for this purpose which 

 met with great success. It is said 

 that he was the first to grow the 

 "Jack" rose this way. These flowers 

 were shipped to Pennock of Philadel- 

 phia, Mr. Findlay receiving for them 

 ?110 per hundred and it may be of 

 interest to note that they were then 

 grown in boxes 15 inches square and 

 one toot deep, one plant to a box. So 

 at this time Mr. Findlay seemed to 



be in a fair way to make a fortune, 

 but his generous disposition to helii 

 all the needy who came in contact 

 with him prevented him from laving 

 up much stores for his declining years, 

 but it is pleasant to know that during 

 those years when age overtook him he 

 was well provided for. 



Mr. Findlay married when in middle 

 life but the union proved not to be a 

 lasting success and no relatives are 

 known to survive him in this country. 

 The funeral took place from his late 

 residence Feb. 15, and was fairly well 

 attended by old acquaintances, the 

 Newport Horticultural Society being 

 well represented. 



David Beam. 



Advices received by friends in Phil- 

 adelphia Feb. 11th, announce the 

 death of David Beam at Kiniemuir, 

 Scotland, .January 26th. Mr. Beam 

 was bom at Kirriemuir about 56 years 

 ago, and after serving an apprentice- 

 ship in Scotland to the gardening busi- 

 ness came to America about the year 

 1872. He located for a short time 

 with Mr. Carr at Pittsburg, and 

 was later one of the coterie who 

 worked at the celebrated Robert Buist 

 greenhouses in West Philadelphia — 

 among whom may be mentioned, 

 George Anderson, Charles Sim, Robert 

 Kift, — and a number of othere who 

 afterwards made their mark in 

 commercial horticulture. He finally 

 started in business for himself at 

 33rd and Wallace, where he had held 

 an interet previouly as silent part- 

 ner with the late Jonh Kinnear, re- 

 maining there until 1893. In the lat- 

 ter year he sold out that property 

 and built a new range at Bala, which 

 he conducted successfully for about 

 llyears. In 1904, failing health com- 

 pelled him to sell out and return to 

 Scotland. 



David Beam was a very keen man 

 intellectually and always took a lively 

 interest in chib and society affairs. 

 His views on any subject were eagerly 

 sought, and were usually most illumi- 

 nating. No man had a surer aim for 

 hitting the nail on the head. He would 

 have made a great lawyer had his lines 

 lain in that direction. Combined with 

 his mental gifts was a disposition of 

 the modest and retiring kind — while 

 his shafts of wit, satire, ridicule, or 

 irony were always tempered by the 

 natural dictates of a very warm heart. 

 Few men in this community had such 

 a host of devoted friends. They 

 missed him sorely after his departure 

 for Scotland five years ago; but were 

 always in hope that he would soon be 

 back again. 



He was a member of the Florists' 

 Club oi Philadelphia, the S. A. F., the 

 Order of Scottish Clans (treasurer of 

 tho local lodge of the latter for many 

 years), the Scots Thistle Society, Cale- 

 donian Club and other fraternal organi- 

 zations. He was unmarried, and lived 

 in Kirriemuir at the home of his 

 brother, John. His business affairs in 

 this country are and have been in 

 charge of his friend Charles Sim, of 

 Rosemont. Pa. So passes away another 

 good man and one of the most noted 

 of the older generation that have made 

 Philadelphia horticulture conspicuous. 

 G C. WATSON. 



J. H. Small, Sr. 

 The death of J. H. Small, Sr., which 

 occurred at his home on Brentwood 



road, Washington, D. C, on Sunday 

 afternoon, Feb. 14, was no surprise to 

 his many friends, as he has been in a 

 very critical condition for some 

 months. Nine years ago Mr. Small 

 had a paralytic stroke from which he 

 never recovered sufficiently to take 

 up active business interests again. 



Mr. Small was born in Wa.tford, 

 England, eighty-two years ago, and 

 over since 1848, when he came to 

 Georgetown as private gardener to 

 Mr. Linthicum, he has been closely 

 associated with the horticultural in- 

 terests of Washington. He was a hor- 

 ticulturist by heritage, tradition and 

 natural bent, receiving his early train- 

 ing under his paternal grandfather. 

 He completed his course at the Crown 

 estates of Kew and Windsor, at which 

 places he saw much of the present 

 King of England, then a child, and his 

 mother, Queen Victoria. In 1854 Mr. 

 Small went into business for himself, 

 in which business his sons, J. H., Jr., 

 and Albert, later became associated 

 and which has twice outgrown its 

 quarters and now comprises both the 

 Washington and New York concerns. 



J. H. Small, Sr. 



The deceased leaves a widow, three 

 sons and six daughters. 



The funeral took place Wednesday. 

 Feb. 17, from Oak Hill Chapel, and the 

 interment was at Oak Hill cemetery. 

 The Rev. R. H. McKim, rector of the 

 Church of the Epiphany, of which Mr. 

 Small was a member, conducted the 

 servic.es, and members of the associa- 

 tion of oldest inhabitants acted as 

 pall-bearers. 



Joseph Dus. 

 Joseph Dus. employed at the green- 

 houses of Herman Maenner, Masiwth, 

 N. Y., died suddenly on Feb. 8. 



A. Von Asche. 

 A. Von Asche died at his home, 

 .lackson avenue. Long Island City, N. 

 v., on Feb. 4, aged 50 years. 



John Griffith. 

 John Griffith, formerly a nursery- 

 man of Attica, X. Y., died on Jan. 28, 

 aged 69 years. 



