;i4 



HORTICULTUKE 



July 13, 1918 



Obituary 



Rear Admiral Aaron Ward 



Rear Admiral Aaron Ward, U. S. N. 

 (retired), an authority on torpedoes, 

 high explosives and roses, died July 5, 

 from heart disease in his home, Wil- 

 lowmere, Roslyn, N. Y., which blooms 

 with a profusion of rare roses, was 

 the hobby of the sea fighter's latter 

 years. Admiral Ward was born in 

 Philadelphia in 1851, studied abroad 

 and was appointed to the United 

 States Naval Academy in 1867. He 

 was graduated four years later. Sea- 

 manship which he exhibited on the 

 training ship Constitution soon after 

 obtaining his commission is still a leg- 

 end in the navy. From 1888 to 1892 

 he was Navel Attache at Paris, Berlin 

 and St. Petersburg, successively. Dur- 

 ing the Spanish War he commanded 

 the converted yacht Wasp, which, 

 with the assistance of the Leyden and 

 the Annapolis, sank the Spanish 

 cruiser Don Jorge Juan, a vessel of 

 935 tons, off Port Nipe, Cuba. 



For several years Admiral Ward 

 served as an aid for inspections. In 

 1910 he was made rear admiral. He 

 was supervisor of the Port of New- 

 York for several years and command- 

 ed the third and then the first divis- 

 ion of the Atlantic Fleet. In 1912 he 

 declined an appointment to the Gen- 

 eral Board in Washington, and in the 

 following year was retired. 



His famous rose gardens were 

 thrown open to the public in 1916 for 

 a Red Cross fete. In the first months 

 of the war Admiral Ward took the 

 first Red Cross relief ship to Europe. 

 He is survived by his widow and two 

 daughters— Hilda Ward, an artist, and 

 Mrs. Edna Capps, wife of Admiral 

 Capps. A heartfelt tribute to his 

 memory by the president of the Amer- 

 ican Rose Society appears herewith: 



The sudden death, at -his home in 

 Roslyn, L. I., of Admiral Aaron Ward, 

 struck his friends with a sharp blow. 

 The Admiral was a true-hearted, able 

 man. with the vigor and clear vision 

 of a good sea captain. Born in the 

 city of Philadelphia, in 1851, he be- 

 came in due time, a trained seaman 

 in the United States Navy, and ad- 

 vanced step by step until he reached 

 the top, retiring from active service 

 as Rear Admiral. 



At the beginning of this war, he 

 cnnimanded and took ocross the water, 

 the first Red Cross Ship on its errand 

 of noble mercy. In New York, he was 

 at home, having for some years had 

 oversight of certain naval affairs of 

 the Port. He had sailed the great 

 deep of the oceans from land to land 

 in all latitudes, but his name, how- 

 ever, is far wider known among the 

 people of America, for his connection 



with the Queen of Flowers — the Rose. 

 When he named the beautiful yellow 

 rose, which grows to perfection from 

 Long Island to Vancouver, across the 

 continent, from ocean to ocean, it was 

 after the one he loved best — his wife. 

 Here lay in his character, the senti- 

 ment for that which is beautiful — the 

 strong man, for whom the great winds 

 and rough waves had no terrors. He 

 had the love of home and beauty in 

 the fibre of his being. A Rose for 

 every Home, A Bush for Every Garden 

 is a sentiment which makes the world 

 the better. In the American Rose So- 

 ciety as far as his duties permitted, 

 he was always ready to give a guid- 

 ing, helping hand. At the entrance of 

 the United States into the war, he re- 

 signed his connection with the Execu- 

 tive Committee work, with a word to 

 the effect, "America first." 



His many friends in the American 

 Rose Society have expressed a desire 

 that their esteem and respect for the 

 man. Admiral Aaron Ward, of Roslyn, 



Robert Hooper Peakson 



may be a matter of record, as he has 

 left us for the realm, where the spirit 

 of just men is made perfect. 



Ben.j.\min Hammond, 

 President American Rose Society. 

 Beacon, N. Y., July 6, 1918. 



It was with deep regret I noticed in 

 the papers, coming home Friday after- 

 noon, the death of my good friend. 

 Admiral Ward. 



In his passing away The American 

 Rose Society loses a very valuable 

 member and one of the most enthusi- 

 astic and best amateur Rosarians of 

 this country. The society not only 

 loses from an amateur standpoint, but 

 a commercial as well, and every one 

 will mourn his loss. 



He was a man liked by every one; 

 a man it was an honor to know. A 

 man when you knew him was to love 

 him. 



His rose gardens at Roslyn, L. I., 

 have been an attraction and a mecca 

 for not only rose lovers but others as 

 well. They contain a wonderful col- 

 lection, roses from all over the world, 

 particularly seedlings from Pernet- 



Ducher, a personal friend of Admiral 

 Ward. Mrs. Aaron Ward was one of 

 these seedlings. 



Each season since the war started. 

 Admiral Ward has turned his Gardens 

 over to the American Ambulance 

 Corps, the proceeds going towards 

 their fund, one year making enough 

 to buy an ambulance, which was sent 

 over to the other side. 



He worked very earnestly and very 

 hard to do what he could to help re- 

 lieve the suffering and wants of the 

 French, whom he dearly loved. 



Sajviuel S. Pennock. 



Philadelphia, July 8, 1918 



Robert Hooper Pearson. 



It is with the deepest regret that 

 we record the death, early on the 

 morning of Tuesday last, June 11, of 

 Mr. R. Hooper Pearson, managing 

 editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 Mr. Hooper Pearson's death, which 

 was due to anaemia, will be mourned 

 not only by all his colleagues on the 

 staff of that journal, but by a large 

 circle of friends. For it was given to 

 few men to form and to hold friend- 

 ships as it was to Mr. Pearson. 



Mr. Pearson was born on July 18, 

 1866, at Brewood, in Staffordshire; 

 his father was proprietor of the local 

 High School, and here the son re- 

 ceived his education. His gardening 

 proclivities were pronounced even at 

 an early age, and his father appren- 

 ticed him in the neighboring gardens 

 of Keele Hall, under Mr. John Wallis. 

 After serving his apprenticeship, he 

 applied for entrance to Kew Gardens 

 as a "young gardener," and was suc- 

 cessful in becoming a member of the 

 Kew staff. After his two years' train- 

 ing at Kew, where he rose to the posi- 

 tion of sub-foreman, he sought further 

 experience in the Marquis of Bute's 

 garden at Cardiff Castle, and he was 

 always appreciative of the excellent 

 training he received under the late 

 Mr. Andrew Pettigrew. He then went 

 to PatshuU Hall, Staffordshire, but 

 after a short stay there he was offered 

 a position on the Gardeners' Chronicle 

 by the then editor, the late Dr. 

 Masters. 



Mr. Pearson was keenly interested 

 in every aspect of horticulture, and 

 held many offices in various societies. 

 He was Hon. Secretary of the Horti- 

 cultural Club, and during his term of 

 office the membership increased from 

 about fifty to some two hundred. As 

 Press Secretary of the International 

 Horticultural ExJiibition in 1912 he 

 contributed largely to its success. He 

 was a member both of the Scientific 

 and of the Floral Committees of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society: an active 

 supporter of gardening charities, he 

 held a position on the executive of 



