250 



THE OARDENEE'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



them is embodied a policy which has proved to 

 be a sound policy and successful, and which in 

 the third part of a century has resulted in one of 

 the most extensive businesses in the world. In 

 the conduct of that business — ' this,' once said 

 M. Van Houtte, ' is my plan : I do the best I 

 can for my friends abroad, and the best I can do 

 for my friends at home and my men in my nur- 

 sery, and when I do the best I can for all these I 

 do the best for myself.' These are ' words of 

 wisdom,' uttered by a man who had proved their 

 worth — a man who was a ' tower of strength ' 

 in his generation, and whose memor}^ will be 

 cherished in all civilized countries where it has 

 so long been a ' household word.' 



The funeral took place at Gendbrugge on the 

 12th inst., attended by a large concourse of the 

 population. Among those who were present 

 were Comte de T'Serclaes, Governor of the Pro- 

 vince; Comte de Kerchove, Bergomaster of 

 Ghent; General Baltia; M. Dumont, Counsellor 

 at the Cour de Cassation; Professor Morren^of 

 Liege, M. Crepin of Brussels, M. Yobert, Director 

 of the State Raihvays ; M. Oswald de Kerchove, 

 M. Kickx, M. Rodigas, M. Pynaert, M. Ambroise 

 VerschafTelt, M. J. Verschaflelt, M. Charles Van 

 Geei't, many public functionaries, and about two 

 hundred workmen coimected with M. Van 

 Houtte's establishment. This vast crowd could 

 not be accommodated in the house, and they 

 therefore congregated outside in the nursery, 

 surrounded by the brilliant achievements of their 

 departed friend ; and here Comte de Kerchove 

 took the opportunity of addressing those assem- 

 bled in feeling terms on the brilliant career of 

 the renowned horticulturist. After an address 

 from M. Pynaert the funeral cortege moved off 

 in the following order : — The Corps d'Harmonie 

 of Gendbrugge, a detachment of infantry, the 

 clergy, the coffin covered with the burgomaster's 

 uniform and the decorations of the deceased. 

 The workmen of the establishment placed upon 

 it a magnificent crown, and immediately behind 

 was a deputation from workmen not connected 

 with the deceased, who carried another crown as 

 their last homage to their jiatron. The pallbear- 

 ers were Prof. Morren, M. Ambroise Verschaffelt, 

 M. Seymortier, Alderman of Gendbrugge, and 

 M. Gust, Guilmot. The funeral service was cele- 

 brated at the church of Gendbrugge, which was 

 far too small to admit the crowd, consisting 

 of 1500 persons. 



At the grave three eloges were delivered; the 

 first in Flemish by M. Guchteneire, the two oth- 

 ers in French by Professor Morren and M. Aug. 

 Van Geert. 



A notice of M. Van Houtte would be incom- 

 plete without some reference to his nursery, 

 even if it embraces but an outline glance and 

 includes but its salient points. The business 

 connections of the establishment extend not 

 only to every nation in Europe, but also to North 

 and South America, China and Japan. The nur- 

 sery, which we recently visited, is situated about 

 two miles from Ghent. There is no external 

 fchow of grandeur, no parade of wealth which 



those who are truly rich and great — the aristoc- 

 racy of nature — never display. Yet if men of 

 great acquirements and substantial resources do 

 not revel in show, they work with perseverance 

 in every honorable and legitimate way to 

 achieve success ; and above all they take care 

 that what they have for the world the world shall 

 know about. 



M. Van Houtte not only availed himself of 

 the agency of the press, but his catalogues were 

 distributed with a liberal hand. These cata- 

 logues were not merely trade lists, but have long 

 been manuals of reference and guides to many 

 readers. The correctness of the several issues 

 is generally admitted, and both the information 

 and the manner in which it has been conveyed 

 have been instructive and entertaining. But 

 mmierous and extensive as have been these is- 

 sues, they are small in comparison with the 

 great work published periodically of the "Flore 

 des Serres et des Jardins de I'Europe." This work 

 is a monument of its late proprietor's and edi- 

 tor's taste and industry. It has reached its 

 twenty-second volume, and contains 2261 col- 

 ored plates, 2300 woodcuts, and 4500 articles 

 relating to horticulture. Specimens of these 

 plates adorned one of the walls at the late cen- 

 tenary exhibition at Brussels, and wore awarded 

 the first prize for horticultural publications — the 

 large silver-gilt medal. M. Van Houtte also 

 published a serial work on fruits — the " Pomona" 

 — also with colored illustrations. In the issue 

 of these works, and the energy displayed in pro- 

 ducing the colored plates as truthful and as 

 perfect as possible, the art of chromo-lilho^raphy 

 was considerably advanced. No more striking 

 sight is afforded in the nursery than the prepara- 

 tion of these plates. In a long corridor-like 

 building are fourteen or fifteen presses, and the 

 entire process from the first sketching of plants 

 to the final coloring by hand of the several 

 ])lates is conducted. That may be termed the 

 fine art department of the nursery, and has long 

 given employment to several Avorkers. It is a 

 wonderful feature of a wonderful place, and is 

 probably — in connection with the nursery — un- 

 equalled by any establishment of the same na- 

 ture in the world. 



M. Van Houtte was not only a manufacturer 

 but also a raiser of plants, and he is worthily 

 commemorated in one of the sections of the ge- 

 nus Gesnera. Hoidtea includes the species of 

 wliich G. pardina is a type. Of this family of 

 plants, in their various sections, more new and 

 valuable varieties have been raised here than in 

 any other establishment; and Avhen the collec- 

 tions are flowering their rich velvety foliage, ele- 

 gant habits, and variously colored flowers 

 demonstrate how superior thej' are, and how 

 effective for summer, also winter decoration. 

 The Gloxinias are worthy of especial mention. 

 We have seen fifty thousand of these plants 

 flowering in the nursery, seedlings planted in 

 leaf mould and protected by glass lights. Of this 

 number raised annually it is seldom that more 

 than a dozen are selected to add to the catalogue 

 list, the remaining corms being classed in oat- 



