THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



Mr. Wm. R. Stewart Mr. A. F. Troescher 



Mr. Frederick Sturges Mrs. B. B. Tuttle 



Mr. F. K. Sturgis Mrs. E. H. Van Ingen 



Mrs. R. B. Suckley Mrs. W. Seward Webb 



Mrs. James Sullivan Mrs. Payne Whitney 



Mr. Rush Taggart Mrs. Chas. B. Wood 



Mrs. H. L. Thomas Mr. Jos. A. Zanetti 



Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson Mr. Chas. ZoUer 



PHILIPPE DE VILMORIN 



Starting in the latter days of the old French kingdom, and per- 

 sisting throughout the vicissitudes of the three republics and the 

 two intervening empires, the house of Vilmorin has maintained 

 its preeminence in the annals of French horticulture. 



The beginnings of the establishment with which the name of 

 Vilmorin has been associated for nearly a century and a half can 

 be traced to a much earlier date, but in the years immediately 

 preceding the American Revolution its proprietor was Pierre 

 d'Andrieux, and in his employ was a young man of intelligence 

 and skill, Victoire de Vilmorin.* In 1774, Vilmorin married his 

 employer's daughter, and in the following year entered into part- 

 nership with his father-in-law. Upon the death of Andrieux, 

 only a few years later, Vilmorin became sole proprietor, in 1780, 

 and adopted the name " Vilmorin-Andrieux " (altered to " Vil- 

 morin-Andrieux et Cie " in 1815), under which the establishment 

 has been known ever since. It may assist the reader to realize 

 the antiquity of this firm, to learn that it was through them that 

 the North American plants collected by Michaux were introduced 

 to French cultivators. Victoire de Vilmorin was conspicuous not 

 only as a commercial horticulturist, but as a writer on horticul- 

 tural topics, and the firm has always devoted particular attention 

 to the publication of useful handbooks. Victoire de Vilmorin died 



* Philippe-Victoire Leveque de Vilmorin, first head of the firm of 

 Vilmorin-Andrieux, was born September 22, 1746, and died March 6, 1804. 

 He was a great-grandson of Charles Levesque de Vilmorien. of an old 

 family of Lorraine. 



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