February 25, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



245 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



Albert Jones of the Pennock-Mee- 

 han Co., is back ou duty again after a 

 week's illness resulting from a heavy 

 cold caught on a recent western trip. 

 Henry F. Michell has just returned 

 from a well-earned vacation at Sum- 

 raerville, S. C. Between the catalogue 

 and the rush is the ideal time for the 

 seedsman to take a rest. By this 

 method better work and more of it. 

 A feature of the Easter prepara- 

 tions at Craig's is a magnificent col- 

 lection of Rambler roses trained iu 

 new and captivating shapes; baskets, 

 bells, umbrellas, and many other 

 unique forms — most of them designed 

 by the fertile genius of young Robert. 

 This will captivate the retailer and 

 will sell on sight. There are three or 

 four big houses devoted to this one 

 item alone. 



John Farquhar, of Boston, paid the 

 trade of Philadelphia a brief visit on 

 the 14th and 15th, on his way home 

 from Washington. We are proud to 

 hear that he was one of the foremost 

 champions at the recent hearings in 

 the capital for common sense and fair 

 play for the seed trade. The new B'm-- 

 pee buildings were one of the chief 

 objects of his inspection, and proved 

 an eye-opener for what can be done by 

 an organizing genius with a warm and 

 generous desire for the comfort of his 

 help, as well as for the prompt and 

 accurate despatch of orders. 



A serious fire occured at Stephen 

 Mortensen's rose growing establish- 

 ment at South Hampton on Sunday 

 night. Eight houses, 20x150, comprising 

 some 24.000 feet area in roses were 

 nearly destroyed, and the contents 

 ruined. The range was worked in two 

 wings with shed between, underneath 

 which were the boilers and gasolene 

 pumping engine. Four houses on each 

 wing went with the shed which was 

 completely destroyed. The smoke 

 flues from the boiler pass underneath 

 the shfd to a brick stack situated at 

 some distance outside and it is thought 

 that some shavings must have got 

 near one of these flues and when the 

 firemen started up the extra boiler, 

 when the storm came on Sunday night, 

 the fire started. Fortunately the gas- 

 olene tank was empty else the whole 

 establishment would have been oblit- 

 erated. Willing neighbors did their 

 utmost in helping the proprietor and 

 his forces to board up the damaged 

 houses and save the stock as much as 

 possible. It is thought that the plants 

 for about G inches above the root are 

 safe and can be used for a future crop 

 when the houses are repaired. One of 

 the most unfortunate of the losses was 

 a house containing the winter's work 

 in young grafted roses on Manetti 

 stock for which this place is famous. 

 It will be very hard to replace these. 

 The loss is estimated at $5000 on tui 

 buildings and $3000 on stock and crop. 

 No insurance. The boilers were un- , 

 harmed. The trade here deeply sym- 

 pathises with Mr. Mortensen, who is a 

 young grower who has in a very few 

 years made a great reputation for him- 

 self and is highly esteemed, both per- 

 sonally and professionally, by all. He 

 started, it seems but yesterday, with 

 Very little and has by his own I'ft'orts 

 and industry built up one of the model 

 places of the vicinity which was rapid- 

 ly expanding from year to year, and 



ROCK GARDEN AT H. A. DREER'S, RIVERTON. 



this blow to a most deserving and es- 

 timable boy makes us all sorrowful 

 and sympathetic. 



Visitors: F. R. Pierson, Tarrytown. 

 N. Y.; J. K. M. L. Farquhar, Boston,' 

 Mass.; H. L. Holmes, Harrisburg, Pa. 



Obituary, 



DISTINGUISHED VISITORS COM- 

 ING. 



We learn from our British ex- 

 changes that the proposed American 

 trip of horticulturists is now an as- 

 sured success, fourteen gentlemen be- 

 ing booked and others may be added. 

 The party will sail from Liverpool on 

 the Lusitania, March 11th, and the re- 

 turn will be made on Auril 5th, on 

 the Mauretania. Philadelphia, Wash- 

 ington, Richmond (Ind.), Chicago, Ni- 

 agara Falls, New York, etc., will be 

 visited, in addition to the National 

 Flower Show at Boston which is the 

 principal object of the visit. The 

 party will be escorted by the Editor of 

 the Horticultural Trade Journal, Bum- 

 lev. 



Martin Trautman. 

 This old-time florist died at his 

 liome in Dorchester district, Boston, 

 on February 15, in his 92nd year. Few 

 in the trade now alive remember Mar- 

 tin Trautman. It is twenty years 

 since he retired from business. Along 

 in the fifties he built the greenhouses 

 on Warren street which he occupied 

 for over thirty years. Previous to 

 this he did business on the Williams 

 place, also on Warren street. His es- 

 tablishment was considered a large 

 one for his time and, as was the cus- 

 tom in those days, all business was 

 all done at the greenhouses. The 

 houses contained many large camel- 

 lias, azaleas, etc., everything being 

 grown in pots on stagings. Mr. Traut- 

 man was a well-trained German gar- 

 dener of the old-fashioned school, re- 

 served and dignified in manner but 

 held in high respect by his fellow- 

 gardeners and florists. 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL 

 COLLEGE. 



Professors Waugh and White, of the 

 Division of Horticulture, returned last 

 week from a trip to Urbana, 111., where 

 Professor Waugh delivered two lec- 

 tures, one on his recent European trip 

 and the other on pruning, before the 

 111. State Horticultural As=ocia ion, 

 Professor White attending the met- 

 ings of the 111. State Florists Associa- 

 tion at that place. On the return trip 

 Prof. White visited Cornell University. 



Mr. Charles H. Totty delivered a 

 very inte:esting lecture on chrysanthe- 

 mums before the classes in floricul- 

 ture last Friday morning, Feb. i:^. 



ROLAND H. PATCH. 



Aaron H. Green. 



Aaron H. Green, senior member of 

 the firm of Kerr & Green, florists, Bal- 

 timore, Md., was stricken with heart 

 failure and died almost instantly on 

 Feb. Sth. Mr. Green was born in 

 Washington County, Maryland, and 

 after graduating from the schools took 

 up farming. This in turn he gave up 

 for a position in the Poole Iron Foun- 

 dry, which he held for thirty years, 

 and then entered the florist business 

 with Mr. Kerr. He is survived by a 

 widow, two brothers and six sisters. 



New Orleans, La. — We have been 

 having spring weather for the past 

 month and nature is putting on her 

 best attire; the mocking birds are 

 singing and all the spring flowers are 

 in bloom. With ideal weather this is 

 the place for visitors to spend their 

 winter months. 



James McConnell. 



James McConnell of the New York 

 Cut Flower Co. died on February 17. 

 The funeral took place on Sunday, the 

 19th, and interment on 20th at Wood- 

 lawn Cemetery. 



Hastings, Nebr. — Charles Winkler 

 has now completed his new green- 

 house. It is said to be one of the 

 largest and most up-to-date in the 

 West. 



