December 9, 1916 



H E T I C U L T U K E 



767 



The Late Bayard Thayer, Friend of the Woods and Gardens . . 



To the Editor of HoRTicLLTrKE 



The announcement of the siuUJeu death of Bavaid 

 Thayer, wliich occurred in Lancaster, Massachusetts, on 

 November 29th. appeared last week in HoisTRTLTLaE, 

 but some notice of his conspicuous service to arboricul- 

 ture and horticulture may well find a place in vour 

 columns. 



Fond of hunting and of the woods from boyhood. 

 Bayard Thayer had a real love of trees and lost no op- 

 portunity to increase his knowledge of them. At the 

 age of thirty-eight, when he established a home for him- 

 self on a nearly treeless hill in Lancaster, he began to 

 plant trees on a large scale, wisely selecting for his prin- 

 cipal plantations the white pine and the hemlock, the 

 two conifers best suited for Xew England. Ever)- year 

 these plantations have been extended, and now contain 

 .several hundred tliousand trees. His interest in trees, 

 however, was not confined to those which are native 

 to Xew England : and as an object lesson for future gen- 

 erations of lovers and students of trees he made a few 

 years ago a pinetum which contains representatives of 

 every coniferous plant which can grow in Massachusetts. 

 Bayard Tliayers jiinetum occupies a picturesque posi- 

 tion, protected by natural woods: the soil is well suited 

 for conifers, generous space has been allowed for the 

 free and full development of the different trees, and no 

 collection of conifers which has been made in the Tnited 

 States has now so great promise of beauty and interest. 

 This pinetum and his great plantation of pines will long 

 keep green the memorv- of Bayard Thayer as an intelli- 

 gent lover and industrious planter of trees. 



In the Thayer nurseries are growing seedlings of 

 all the new Chinese and Japanese conifers rai.-^ed at Lan- 

 caster from seeds distributed by the Arboretum, and in 

 these nurseries have been raised many of the liest of 

 Wilson's decidnons-leaved Chinese trees and shrubs. 



The native laurel grows naturally and in great beauty 

 in Lancaster, and it was Bayard Tliayers intention to 

 make the^ laurel the great decorative feature of his 

 estate. For years he moved plants collected in other 

 parts of Worcester county to his wood borders, and every 

 spring has planted twenty-five or thirty thousand seed- 

 lings raised in his nurseries for this purpose. For the 

 decoration of these woods he has had raised in his nur- 

 series, also, all the handsomest species of American and 

 Japanese azaleas, the flowering dog^vood, and other 

 handsome flowering native trees and shrubs; and the 

 improvement by planting of no other American estate 

 has been undertaken in a more systematic and intelli- 

 gent manner. 



Of the gardens created under the direction of Bavard 

 Thayer — the Terrace garden with its unsurpassed Jap- 

 anese yews, the crabapple and lilac gardens, and the 

 Dutch garden with its lirilliant display of tulips, it is 

 unnecessan- to speak here for they are known to all 

 American lovers of gardens, and every year when the 

 daffodils and tulips bloom are enjoyed by thousands of 

 visitors from all the country- round. It" is doubtful if 

 any American lias, as a gardener, shown more good taste 

 and imagination than Bayard Thayer, or in the short 

 period of less than twenty years has accomplished more 

 for the uplift of American horticulture. His death is a 

 real loss, but other hands, it is hoped, will continue the 

 work he so well began. 



Arnold Arboretum. 



BENJ. HAMMOND FOR MAYOR 

 OF BEACON. 

 It was announced Friday that Ben- 

 jamin Hammond had been prevailed 

 upon to enter the race for mayor and 

 will be a candidate for the republican 

 nomination for that office at the com- 

 ing primaries, which will be held In 

 Februar5'. 



It is doubtful as to whether a better 

 man could be found in this commu- 

 nity to fill that important office than 

 Mr. Hammond, and the city is indeed 

 fortunate in gaining his consent to 

 make the race. Mr. Hammond has 

 always been deeply interested in the 

 welfare of this community and has 

 taken an active part in every move- 

 ment to better local conditions. He 

 has always been ready to give freely 

 of his time and money and not infre- 

 quently has he neglected his private 

 business in order to devote time to 

 public affairs. 



He is a thoroueh business man and 

 for years and years has kept in close 

 to'ich with municipal affairs and as a 

 result he has the knowledge and ex- 

 perience that is so necessary in city 

 government. If Beacon is to have an 

 administration that is economical and 

 efficient men of ability and sterling 



character must be placed in office. As 

 Mr. Hammond meets with all of these 

 requirements his nomination and elec- 

 tion should be the wish and desire of 

 everyone who wants to see the city 

 properly governed. — From the FisKkiil 

 Starulard. Dec. 2. 



be 



"IT COULDN'T BE DONE." 



Somebody snid it couldn't be done, 



But he, with a chuckle, replied 

 Th.Tt maybe it couldn't, but he would 

 one 



Who wouldn't sa.v so till he tried. 

 So he buckled ripht in, with a trace of a 

 grin 



On his fate. If he worried, he bid it. 

 He started to sing as be tackled the thing 



That couldn't be done, and he did it. 



Somebody scoffed, "Oh. vou'll never do 

 that: 

 At least no one has ever done It." 

 But he took off bis coat and be took off 

 bis bat. 

 And the first thing we knew he'd begun 

 it: 

 With a lift of his chin, and a hit of a grin, 



Without any doubting or nuit it. 

 He started to sing as he tackled the thing 

 That couldn't be done, and he did It. 



There are thousands to tell .vou it cannot 

 be done: 

 There are thousands to prophesy failure; 

 There are thousands to point out to you. 

 one by one 

 The dangers that wait to assail you: 

 Bnt Just buckle In with a hit of a grin. 



Then take off your coat and go to it: 

 .lust start In to sing as you tackle the 

 thing 

 That cannot be done and you'll do It. 

 — Edgar A. Guest. 



AN APPRECIATION. 

 -Mr. William J. Stewart, 



Editor Horticulture. 

 Dear Mr. Stewart, 



I am in receipt of a marked copy of 

 your issue of November 25th, contain- 

 ing an editorial on fire prevention. I 

 am glad to see the specific nature of 

 this editorial in which you bring the 

 general subject close to your particu- 

 lar field. If trade and class publica- 

 tions in general were to follow your 

 example, the net result would be the 

 education of those who often uncon- 

 sciously are dealing with fire hazard 

 in dangerous form. 



The National Board is very mud 'n 

 earnest in seeking to awaken such 

 people to a sense of their dangers and 

 responsibilities, and the co-operation 

 of such influential journals as Horti- 

 culture is an important factor to this 

 end. 



Thanking you for your co-operation, 

 I am. 



Yours very truly, 



W. E. M.tu^i.iEi:, 

 Gen. Mpr. Nat. Board of Fire Under- 

 writers. 



Conshohocken, Pa. — Florist Willis 

 Baldwin has purchased the building in 

 which bis business is located on Fay- 

 ette street. 



