March 2S. 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



409 



Obituary 



William H. Spooner. 



Wm. H. Spooner, for many years a 



leading horticulturist of Boston, died 



on Saturday, March 21, in his 75th 



year, after one week's illness. Up to 



William H. Spooner 



the time of his final sickness Mr. 

 Spooner was in his usual health and 

 spirits and made his frequent trips 

 to Horticultural Hall, which he was in 

 the custom of making regularly for 

 many years back as a devoted member 

 and faithful officer of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society. At the 

 time of his death Mr. Spooner was the 

 accredited representative of this so- 

 ciety in the Massachusetts Board of 

 Agriculture. In former years he had 

 served as a vice-president and trustee 

 of the society and for a term of two 

 years as its president. Some forty 

 years ago Mr. Spooner was associated 

 with the late Francis Parkman in the 

 exploitation of fancy nursery stock 

 and roses. He then became a mem- 

 ber of the firm of W. C. Strong & Co., 

 nurserymen and florists, and, about 

 the year 1872. on the dissolution of 

 this firm, he took the Boston store of 

 the concern on his own behalf and 

 conducted same until bought out by 

 W. J. Stewart, who had been in his 

 employ as manager. He then took 

 up the business of hardy rose import- 

 ing and growing, which he continued 

 for many years at Jamaica Plain, 

 Mass. afterwards disposing of it to 

 J. F. Shea. 



Mr. Spooner was a man of kindly, 

 sympathetic disposition, beloved by a 

 large circle of friends in horticultural 

 circles. He served in the Massachu- 

 setts legislature for two terms and 

 was a constant advocate and friend of 

 agricultural progress and legislation. 

 A faithful, conscientious man, he will 

 be missed and mourned. 



E. J. Castle. 



The English trade papers record the 

 death of E. J. Castle on March 4, at 

 the age of 39. Mr. Castle was at one 

 time on the editorial staff of "The 



Gardener." He was an able writer, 

 having a thorough knowledge of prac- 

 tical and scientific gardening and al- 

 lied subjects. 



John Moller. 

 John Moller, an old and valued em- 

 ployee of Siebrecht & Son, New York, 

 while trimming a tree fell to the 

 ground. He was carried to the St, 

 Vincent Hospital, where he died on 

 March 13. 



C. T. C. Deake. 



Cyrus Towner Curtice Deake died 

 on March 11 at his home in Asheville, 

 N. C. He was the founder of the Idle- 

 wild Floral Co. Mr. Deake was 84 

 years of age, and is survived by his 

 wife. 



James P. H. Ruth. 

 James P. H. Ruth, who had green- 

 houses at Wyomissing, Pa., died at his 

 home in Brookside on March 16, aged 

 41, A widow and daughter survive 

 him. 



• E. D. Darlington. 



E. D. Darlington, superintendent at 

 the Pordbrook seed farms of W. Atlee 

 Burpee & Co.. at Doylestown, Pa., 

 died on the morning of March 26, 



Joseph Kaiser. 



Joseph Kaiser, a florist of Belleville, 

 Mo,, died suddenly on March 14 in his 

 fifty-ninth year. 



Alfred Hildred. 

 Alfred Hildred, a prominent retail 

 florist of Chicago, passed away on 

 March 17. 



J, M. Gasser, 

 This well-known and highly re- 

 spected florist of Cleveland, Ohio, died 

 at Flint, Mich., on March 12, of heart 

 failure, after a period of ill-health ex- 

 tending over two years. Mr. Gasser 



J. M. Gasser 



was born in Switzerland in 1841 and 

 came to Cleveland when a youth. He 

 served in the Civil War and was 

 wounded. After the close of the war 

 he was employed in the post office, 

 and afterwards conducted a small ice 

 cream business in Cleveland and 



taught dancing, and at the same time 

 began a modest trade in selling flow- 

 ers, getting his supply from Boston, 

 New York and Philadelphia, Close 

 industry on the part of Mr. and, Mrs. 

 Gasser resulted in a rapidly develop- 

 ing business, which finally grew into 

 the leading florist establishment of the 

 city, with extensive greenhouse ranges 

 as a source of supply. In his active 

 business days Mr. Gasser, although 

 working hard and incessantly, was 

 never too tired or too busy to extend 

 a generous welcome to a visiting 

 brother florist. He was an earnest 

 supporter of the S. A. F. and a regular 

 attendant at its conventions, and when 

 the society met in Cleveland thirteen 

 years ago he entertained the visitors 

 in lavish manner. He leaves a wife 

 and one married daughter. 



The business will be carried on with 

 no change in policy or plans at pres- 

 ent. 



NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL SO- 

 CIETY OF FRANCE, 

 The magnificent autumn shows of 

 this society, which are held every year 

 in Paris, are a source of delight to 

 every admirer of the chrysanthemum, 

 and there are many features of inter- 

 est to be seen there that are wanting 

 in our English shows. Just now, when 

 the chrysanthemum fever is very strong 

 among the French growers, there is a 

 keen desire to keep up the interest in 

 every possible way. It is now an- 

 nounced that the next Paris chrysan- 

 themum show will be the twenty-fifth 

 in succession, and that a portion of it 

 will be devoted to exhibits of an artis- 

 tic and literary interest. The final 

 arrangements are not yet made, but 

 a preliminary notice has been given 

 that there will be a special depart- 

 ment reserved for those who can ex- 

 hibit books, publications, prints, en- 

 gravings, pictures and old catalogues 

 relating to the chrysanthemum. An- 

 other part of the show will be reserved 

 for blooms of old varieties that were 

 in cultivation prior to the year 1896. 

 C. HARMAN PAYNE. 



NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM 

 SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 



At the recent annual meeting of this 

 society the following appointments of 

 officers were made: President, Sir Al- 

 bert Rollitt; chairman of committee, 

 T. Bevan; vice-chairman, E. F. Hawes; 

 treasurer, John Green; foreign secre- 

 tary, C. Harman Payne; general sec- 

 retary, P. A. Witby. The late presi- 

 dent, C. E. Shea, has been obliged to 

 retire on account of ill health. A prac- 

 tical grower for show and a seedling 

 raiser of some repute a few years ago, 

 Mr. Shea's services have been recog- 

 nized by the society by placing his 

 name on the list of vice-presidents. 

 For lack of funds the society is unable 

 to continue the publication of the year 

 book started last year. It will be ob- 

 served that Mr. C, Harman Payne has 

 been again elected foreign secretary, 

 a position he has occupied for 20 years 

 in succession. 



