August 12, 1916 



HOBTICULTUBB 



203 



Obituary 



Jackson Thornton Dawson. 



Jackson Dawson, superintendent of 

 the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, 

 Boston, JIass., died at his home on 

 Centre street, on Thursday afternoon, 

 August 3. He was in his 75th year. It 

 is fully two years since Mr. Dawson's 

 intimate friends noticed that his rug- 

 ged health had begun to weaken, but 

 it was only last April that the serious- 

 ness of his condition became apparent. 

 Frcm that time on his health failed 

 rapidly and it finally became apparent 

 that it was a question of but a short 

 time until the career o£ the eminent 

 gardener must come to its close. He 

 continued to attend to his duties, how- 

 ever, so far as his strength permitted, 

 almost till the last. He was uncon- 

 scious for several hours before his 

 death and the end came peacefully. 



Mr. Dawson was born in East Rid- 

 ing, Yorkshire, Eng., October 5, 1841. 

 He came with his mother to the 

 "United States as a child, and when he 

 was 8 years of age he was started in 

 gardening in the nurseries of his uncle 

 at Andover. At the outbreak of the 

 Civil war he enlisted and served for 

 three years in Co. G, 19th Massachu- 

 setts Infantry. He was several times 

 wounded and it is said that some ot 

 his wounds were received while in 

 quest of plant specimens arid seeds, a 

 pastime in which he had been pas- 

 sionately interested from childhood. 



After his discharge in 1864 he went 

 to work in the nurseries of Hovey & 

 Co., at Cambridge, where the patient, 

 devoted young student found ample 

 opportunity for the indulgence ot his 

 enthusiasm and indomitable energy in 

 the realm of botanical classification, 

 geographical distribution, propagation 

 and~ cultivation of plants. His intro- 

 duction to the public came through his 

 recognition of the Scotch heather 

 which had been growing wild in Jlass- 

 achusetts and his making the fact 

 known to the world. 



In 1871 Jlr. Dawson was offered a 

 position under Francis Parkman of the 

 school of horticulture of the Bussey 

 Institution. Then, after two years, 

 Professor Charles S. Sargent took the 

 place of Mr. Parkman, and a little 

 later became director of the Botani- 

 cal Gardens of Cambridge. Mr. Daw- 

 son supplied him with plants for the 

 gardens, and thus became familiar 

 with plants from all parts of the 

 world. 



The Arnold Arboretum was started 

 shortly afterward and Mr. Dawson be- 

 came identified under Professor Sar- 

 gent with this undertaking and did bis 

 part in the development of the institu- 

 tion up to its present proud position 

 among the great tree gardens of the 

 world. Here he accomplished many 

 difficult and seemingly impossible 

 feats in grafting, seed germination 

 and complicated culture, and by stu- 

 dious hybridization produced many 

 new and valuable plants, among which 

 the Farquhar. W. C. Egan, Dawson, 

 Lady Duncan and Sargent roses are 

 perhaps the most widely known. His 

 practical knowledge of hardy trees 

 and shrubs was second to none. 

 World-wide recognition as one of the 

 most accomplished gardeners of nis 

 time was given by the award to him 



in 1911 of the George Robert White 

 gold medal of honor for achievement 

 in horticulture. 



On Dec. 1, 1866 Mr. Dawson married 

 Mary McKeuna. Eight children were 

 born to the union, six of whom sur- 

 vive him. They are William Francis, 

 George Walter, James Frederick, 

 Henry Sargent, Miss Laura Blanchard 

 Dawson and Mrs. Harold Blossom. 



For many years Jlr. Dawson has 

 been an active member of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society and a 

 frequent exhibitor of hardy material. 

 He was a past president of the Gar- 

 deners' and Florists' Club of Boston 

 and a member of the Horticultural 

 Club of Boston. Also was for a num- 

 ber of years a member of the Society 

 of American Florists, serving on its 

 executive committee in 1895-6-7. 



The funeral at St. Johns' Church on 

 Saturday, was largely attended by 

 horticultural people from Greater Bos- 

 ton and others from distant points. 

 Among those from other states we 

 noticed W. A. Manda, South Orange, 

 N. J.; W. O. Roy, Montreal, Canada, 

 W. W. Harper, Chestnut Hill, Pa.; 

 Mrs. Timothy McCarthy, Providence, 

 R. I.; Leonard Barron, Garden City, 

 N. Y.; C. W. Hoitt, Nashua, N. H.; A. 

 E. Thatcher, Bar Harbor, Me.; Ru- 

 dolph L. Roehrs, Rutherford, N. J.; 

 and there would have been many more 

 had it not been for the unavoidably 

 short notice. The honorary pall bear- 

 ers were Charles S. Sargent, Ernest 

 H Wilson, Charles W. Hoitt, B. T. 

 Watson, J. K. M. L. Farquhar and W. 

 W. Harper. A large number of beauti- 

 ful floral tributes were sent by loving 

 friends in the profession, the florist 

 trade and other walks of life. Burial 

 was at Andover, Mass. 



The Arnold Arboretum was closed 

 during the time ot the funeral. 



spent among the fruit trees and wall 

 fruits. The second year he was in the 

 flower garden and during the third 

 year in the forcing house where he 

 Ifearned how to grow fruits under 

 glass. At the termination of his 

 three years he left Longleat and went 

 to the island ot Guernsey where he 

 took charge of the garden of Peter 

 De Jersey. In the fall of 1856 he came 

 to the United States, landing in .New 

 York a few days after reaching the 

 age of 21. The first winter he spent 

 in Toronto, Can., but in the following 

 spring he came to Rochester where 

 he has lived ever^ since. 



In Rochester Mr. Charlton first was 

 engaged by the late George J. Whit- 

 ney director of the N. Y. Central R. R. 

 remaining with him until the fall of 

 the following year when he went with 

 Joseph Hall, horseman, miller and ag- 

 ricultural implement maker, remaining 

 in the latter position until Mr. Hall's 

 death six years afterward when he re- 

 solved in 1865 to venture into business 

 for himself. He secured two acres of 

 land and constructed a greenhouse, 

 afterward replacing it with some that 

 were larger. From time to time he 

 added to his land until he had about 

 150 acres under cultivation. When his 

 sons, John A and Joseph M. Charlton 

 became old enough he associated with 

 them under the firm name of John 

 Charlton & Sons. Deceased leaves his 

 wife, Sarah Charlton, his two sons, 

 two daughters, Mrs. W. B. Kerr and 

 Miss Margaret Charlton, and three 

 grandchildren. Funeral services were 

 held Friday afternoon, August 4, and 

 interment was in Rochester, N. Y. 



John Charlton. 



John Charlton, aged 80, one of the 

 best known florists and nurserymen in 

 western New York died on Wednesday 

 morning, August 2, following an ill- 

 ness of six months at his home, 629 

 Culver road, Rochester, N. Y. In 1869 

 the late Mr. Charlton introduced Am- 

 pelopsis Veitchii into the United 

 States. In 1873 he propagated the 

 Peter Henderson tree carnation the in- 

 troduction of which variety marked an 

 epoch in the history of the carnation. 

 He also introduced the Pocklington 

 grape and the Golden Prolific goose- 

 berry. He helped to introduce the 

 James Yick strawberry. Deceased also 

 was among the first to grow hardy 

 grapevines for market and w^as well 

 known as an expert grower of fuch- 

 sias. The firm of John Charlton & 

 Sons is prominently known for the 

 growing ot roses, flowering shrubs and 

 peonies. 



The late Mr. Charlton was born No- 

 vember 19, 1835, in Horningsham, 

 Wiltshire. England, and received his 

 education there in the village school. 

 He always had been fond of plants and 

 flowers and his love for them guided 

 him to the profession of gardener and 

 afterward that of nurseryman. When 

 17 years old he was apprenticed at 

 the gardens of Longleat, the county 

 seat of the JIarquis of Bath, which 

 was then as now one of the show 

 places of England. Young Charlton 

 was chosen for this position out or 

 twenty-four applicants. The first year 

 of his apprenticeship Mr. Charlton 



Mrs. George C. Shaffer. 

 It was with a great deal of regret 

 that the many friends of Mrs. George 

 C Shaffer, wife of George C. Shaffer, 

 Washington, D. C, learned that she 

 had passed away early on Sunday 

 mornin? following a prolonged illness. 

 Although it was known that her ill- 

 ness was of a very serious nature, 

 nevertheless her death was a shock to 

 all who knew her. Mrs. Shaffer was 

 of a most lovable type of woman. It 

 was her pleasure to make conditions 

 enjovable for her friends. At the head 

 of the ladies' auxiliary of the Florists 

 Club of Washington, D. C. and as an 

 active member among the ladies of the 

 S A F she won many friends. She 

 was the life of many of the enjoyable 

 affairs in which the ladies participat- 

 ed especiallv the outings of the Flor- 

 ists' Club where she entered into 

 many of the games and was usually 

 picked as a winner. She was an adept 

 in the sports in which women enter 

 and on the bowling alleys she showed 

 great skill. .. 



Mr Shaffer has the full sympathy 

 of everv member of the trade, not only 

 of Washington but of the surrounding 

 territory, and Houticulture and its 

 correspondent wish to offer to him 

 their most profound sympathy. 



Richard Brett. 

 Richard Brett, a well-known gar- 

 dener of the old school, died on Sun- 

 day July 23, at Morris Plains, N. J., 

 and' was buried at Morristown. -'Vmong 

 the positions which Mr. Brett had fill- 

 ed was that of gardener to James R. 

 Pitcher; then foreman to Pitcher & 

 Manda; afterwards he had charge of 

 Mr. Colgate's place in Yonkers, .N. Y.; 



