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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



A RECORD UNIQUE 



The little town of Lenox is justly celebrated for several 

 things, notably its beautiful scenery, magnificent country 

 homes and its literary associations. But there is another 

 feature which will interest the horticultural and agricul- 

 tural fraternity, and that is, the men who have charge of 

 the Lenox estates, who for some reason which seems 

 peculiar to the locality, "stay put," a characteristic which 

 has become so marked that a Xew York seedsman is 

 responsible for the assertion that the Lenox superin- 

 tendents "neither die nor resign." That this statement 

 may be a trifle overdrawn in the first part we will not 

 attempt to deny, but we submit that there are few locali- 

 ties in these United States or in the world which can 

 match our record. For we have within a radius of three 

 miles twenty-seven estates of varying size, the superin- 

 tendents of which have an aggregate of five hundred and 

 forty years service to their credit, or an average of twenty 

 years each. And if we select ten of the long service men 

 they average thirty-one years each. Nearly a dozen have 

 been the only occupants of their position, having been 

 there from the beginning of the place as a country estate 

 and some have held their position under several owners, 

 apparent!}- being like Tennyson's "Brook," for owners 

 may come, and owners may go but they go on for ever. 

 Some may argue that staying long in one place tends to 

 make a man narrow, or moss-grown. Be this as it may, 

 long and faithful service has ever been looked upon with 

 some measure of respect the world over and employer as 

 well as employee may well be congratulated u]ion a con- 

 dition so honorable to all parties. 



We feel that the accompanying photograph would be 

 incomplete without a few words about the men and the 

 estates the\- manage, so we will commence with the dean 

 of the corps, John Baker, who is seventy-five years young, 

 straight as an arrow and as active as a youth : he has had 

 charge of "The Dormers," Mrs. R. T. .-Xchnnitvs' estate. 



for more than forty-five years and is an allround farmer 

 and gardener. Our next veteran is William Henry, who 

 for forty years has "gardened finely" at Groton Place, 

 the estate of Mr. Grenville L. Winthrop, where there is a 

 very fine Italian garden, e.xtra fine hardy trees and a very 

 interesting orchard of dwarf fruit trees. James Feeley is 

 quite in the running with thirty-eight years at Wyndhurst, 

 the estate of the late John Sloane. Mr. Feeley's special- 

 ties are pedigreed cattle, j)oultry, orchards, vegetables and 

 all the rest that goes to make the products of a complete 

 country home. Charles Mattoon is in the same class, hav- 

 ing for thirty-eight years had charge of the Morgan Farm 

 on the \'entford Hall estate. Alexander McConnachie, 

 who is now for the second time president of the Lenox 

 Horticultural Society, has been at "Tanglewood," Mr. 

 Richard C. Dixey's place, for the last thirty-three years, 

 gardening and farming. Afr. John M. Hughes is our next 

 subject, and he has been at "Wayside," the estate of Mrs. 

 Wm. H. Bradford, for thirty years. Rudolf A. Schmidt 

 has been at "Sunnycroft," the estate of Mrs. G. G. Haven 

 for twenty-six years, and in addition to being an expert 

 horticulturist has been very successful with poultry. E. 

 J. Xorman is rapidly approaching the quarter century 

 mark as superintendent of "Erskine Park," the estate of 

 the late George Westinghouse. Here are lawns of nearly 

 a hundred acres in e.xtent and miles of drives as well as 

 powerful fountains which play every day in summer, and 

 Mr. Norman has had the making of it all. A. H. Wmgett 

 is likewise getting very close to the quarter century mark 

 as superintendent of ".Mien Winden," Mr. Charles 

 Lanier's estate. Air. Wingett is a delegate to the State 

 Board of .\griculture, where he very ably represents the 

 Lenox Florticultural Society. George H. Thom]:)son was 

 unavoidably absent when the photo was taken, but was 

 worthily represented by George H., Jr. Mr. Thomjjson 

 has had charge of "Wheatleigli," the estate of Mr. Carlos 

 De Heredia for some twentv-two \'ears and has been 



Reading left to right the names are: Front row — Walter Marsden, Tl^omas Prcctor. E. .1. Xorman, John M. Hughes. .\. McConnachie, Wm. 

 Henry, John Baker, James Feeley. Cha^. Matton.- 



Second row — Wm. Tirrell, John Krah, David Dunne, F. H.. Butler, -Walter Jack, John Donahue, R. A. Schmidt, Harry Herreman. 



Third row — George H. Ferguson, ,\. J. Loveless, Alex. McLeod, Frec^erick Herremans, A. H. Wingett, George Foulsham,' Edwin Jenkins, S. Carl- 

 quist, Robert Purcell, George H. Thompson, Jr. 



