124 3 ™ ANNUAL REPORT. ae 
atone, he evinced his ardent love for horticulture by the planting 
of both fruit and ornamental trees. His late home was conspicuous 
for the number and variety of the evergreens with which it was sur- 
rounded. Indeed, we may say, his cottage at Le Sueur was almost 
hidden within the beautiful spruces, firs, cedars, &c. Near the town 
he planted an orchard of various kinds of fruit trees. We paid a 
visit to our old friend and co-laborer a few months before his death. 
His trees were in very good condition, but some of the apples, gen- 
erally considered as iron-clads, he had almost abandoned after the 
repeated hard winters. The best looking apples in his grounds were | 
the Stewart Seedlings, that were originated by his successor in the 
business, and within a short distance of his home. 
We believe the subject of this notice in connection with his cousin, 
Amasa Stewart, established the third nursery of note in Minnesota. 
He came from LaSalle county, Illinois, in 1854. The following sea- 
son, in company with Mr. A. Stewart, he started a nursury out on 
the Stillwater road, some three or four miles trom St. Paul. They 
brought from below an immense stock, in all numbering some 300,000 
fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, roses, currants, gooseberries, 
Osage orange, &c. These were planted on heavy clay soil, but many 
failed within a year or two from the effects of cold weather, &c. 
They were largely made up of such varieties as were generally grown 
in the nurseries below. Of course they were not very well calculated 
to endure the rigors of a climate like ours. 
In 1856 Capt. Stewart sold out his interest to his partner, who 
continued the business for a number of years at Le Sueur. 
The birth place of Mr. Stewart was Morrow county, Ohio, which 
occurred April 22d, 1823. He removed to Illinois in 1844, where he 
was also engaged in the nursery business, we believe, from 1850. 
During the war Mr. Stewart was in the service of the country, and 
came out as Captain. One or two years he was honored with a seat 
in the Legislature, and for some time he took quite an active part in 
local politics. 
His death was very sudden, and occurred at Omaha, while on his 
way to the west in company with his son. 
Thus have we been called upon to record the departure from our 
midst of four members of our profession. They were all noted in the 
different departments of horticulture, and among the pioneers, hence 
it is a duty we owe the cause to preserve a record of their services 
in our Transactions, though none of them ever became active mem- 
bers of our society. 
