June 1, 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



531 



The Late Maurice Levaque de Vilmorin 



J->y the (k'atli of ^laurice Levaque de Vilmorin the 

 wiirld has lost one of its most highly esteemed and dis- 

 tinguished dendrologists, best l<no\vn by the Fruticetum 

 A'ihnorinianiim which he established in 1896 at I-es 

 Barres, near Xogent-sur-Vernisson (Loiret), where he 

 assembled the largest and best arranged collection of 

 shnibs in Europe. The relations Vilmorin was able to 

 establish with some of the French missionaries living 

 in China enabled him to introduce into his collection- 

 many Cliinese trees and shrubs which before his time 

 were unknown in Europe, and among his correspondents 

 in China are found the names of Delavay, Arman-.l 

 David, Farge and Soulie, now familiar to all students of 

 the Chinese flora. The most conspicuous of the Chi- 

 nese plants Vilmorin obtained through his missionary 

 friends was the Davidia, the tree for which Wilson first 

 went to China. 



The Fruticetum Vilmorinianum occupies a part of 

 the Vilmorin estate on which in 1815 the grandfather 

 of Maurice, Andre Levaque de Vilmorin, planted an 

 important Arboretum which has now become the prop- 

 erty of the state and is known as L'Ecole Forestiere des 

 Barres. The Fruticetum "\'ilmorinianum supplemented 



the Arboretum and the two collections have made Les 

 Barres one of the most important of all dendrological 

 stations. 



Maurice Levaque de Vilmorin paid two long visits to 

 the Arnold Arboretum and was one of its constant and 

 most valued correspondents. Many plants, including 

 the largest collection of American Hawthorns in Europe, 

 first raised at this Arboretum, are now growing in the 

 Fruticetum Vibiiorinianum, and to his generosity the 

 Boston Arboretum owes many of its rare and interest- 

 ing plants, including the first Davidia v.hich ever 

 reached the United States. An interesting account of 

 the Fruticetum Vilmorinianum from the pen of Edward 

 Andre is printed in the Eevue Horticole for 1900, and 

 in 1904 Vilmorin publislied a preliminary catalogue of 

 liis collections with descriptions and figures of rare and 

 little known species. 



Arnold Arboretum 



OBITUARY. 

 Maurice L. de Vilmorin 



The Vilmorin family tias been sadly 

 stricken again. Philii)i>e's premature- 

 passing away is still fresh in our 

 memory, when the sad news reaches 

 us of the sudden death, on the 21st 

 of April last, at his country seat of 

 "Les Barres." where he went to enjoy 

 a little rest, of his uncle. Mr. JNIaurice 

 L. de Vilmorin. aged sixty-nine. The 

 day before he left Paris, Mr. Maurice 

 appeared at the office of the firm and 

 seemed to be in the usual good health, 

 though the loss of his son-in-lay. Caji- 

 tain de Lesse, who died a short timu 

 ago from a disease contracted on 

 the front, had afflicted him to a 

 great degree. Mr. Maurice, after 

 having taken lunch with his family, 

 retired, as was his wont, to his bureau 

 to attend to his correspondence; ci- 

 body took ixiiv heed of him until sev- 

 r ral hours \: t(-r. wiien entering the 

 loom, his daughter found him dead 

 fiom henionhage. 



.\ brother of the late Mr. Henry de 

 "^ ilmorin, Mr. Maurice, until he re- 

 tired two years ago, has been an active 

 member of the seed firm bearing his 

 name for about 40 years. Spsakinq 

 several languages, he had traveled ex- 

 tensively and visited twice the 

 Vnited States as Commissioner to the 

 International Expositions of Philadel- 

 l>hia in IS":) and Chicago in 1.S9''.. 

 Like his forefathers, he always tooit 

 the keenest interest in everything 

 pertaining to agriculture as well as 

 liorticulture. He was an authority on 

 arboriculture and his famous and 

 unique collection of trees and shrubs 

 located near the State forestry sfhool 

 established by his grandfather at "Les 

 Barres" and which contains tlie finest 

 set of American oaks to be found in 

 Europe, gave !iim many occasions to 

 contribute dendrological articles to tlie 

 Krench and foreign periodicals. 



Having friendly intercourse willi 

 most of the Frencli missionaries in 



esteem by his employees and all per- 

 sons who came in contact with him. 



Mr. Maurice is survived by two sons 

 and three daughters. His eldest son, 

 Mr. Jacques L. de Vilmorin. 3.5 years 

 old, now mobilized in the Army, has 

 been a member of the firm for ten 

 years. He is therefore familiar with 

 all the routine work of the business. 

 He has attejided of late years to the 

 selecting, breeding and crossing. Be- 

 ing in a position to avail himself of 

 the observations and collections of his 

 father, he will, in future, pay particu- 

 lar attention to the scientific part of 

 the business and we may be sure, fol- 

 low the paths of his ancestors. His 

 younger brother, who has not yet 

 ended his studies, is an officer m th4 

 French Army on the front. 



The other members of the Vilmorin 

 family who are in the Army are. so 

 far, in good health and we hope they 

 will remain so until the end of the 

 terrible struggle. 



M.VVHILE L. DE V1I.MORIX. 



China, Japan and other far away coun- 

 tries, he has introduced many very in- 

 teresting plants, part of which are de- 

 scribed in his illustrated "Fruticetum 

 Vilmorinianum." Well known to all 

 tree lovers, and a personal friend of 

 Prof. C. S. Sargent, of the Arnold Ar- 

 boretum, Mr. Maurice de Vilmorin. 

 member of tlie Legion of Honor, had 

 been President of the Academie d'Ag- 

 riculture, the highest Agricultural So- 

 ciety of France, embodying half a 

 hundred of the most distinguished 

 Krench agriculturists, and of the Bo- 

 tanical Society of France, vice-presi- 

 dent of the National Horticultural 

 Society, of the National Society of Ac- 

 climation and of the Dendrological 

 Society of France, etc. 



A high character. Mr. Maurice com- 

 manded the respect of all who knew 

 liim. Nobody was more unassuming 

 .'.nd he was always held in the highe-jt 



Maurice Hendberg 

 JIaurice Hendberg one of the old- 

 time florists of Hoboken. N. J., died 

 at his home in that city on May IT 

 aged 76 years. He was a native of 

 Sweden. He emigrated to this coun- 

 try in 1S61 and promptly enlisted in 

 the Union Army in the Civil War. He 

 enjoyed a high position in the esteem 

 of the people of Hoboken and of the 

 florist trade in New York and neigh- 

 borhood. He turned over his business 

 to his son William M. Hendberg. sev- 

 eral years ago. 



Charles W. Collins. 

 Charles W. Collins, florist, To- 

 ronto, Ont., died Saturday night 

 May 20, following illness of one week 

 at his home, 338 Cumberland street. 

 Deceased was born in England but had 

 resided in Toronto for the past twenty- 

 five years. He was a past president of 

 the Sons of England and a member of 

 the 13th Royal Regiment. He is sur- 

 vived by his wife. 



