282 Annals of Hortictdture. 



during the short noon intervals and night hours, when his body required 

 rest as did his mind, he wrote Gardening for Profit, lying on his back on the 

 floor with a pillow under his head. Under these circumstances, knowing 

 from living witnesses that he wrote every word of that book, and dictated 

 to an amanuensis the works that followed, I cannot avoid referring at this 

 moment to the reprehensible action of obscure individuals, who under 

 anonymous protection, being unfortunately accorded access to some of our 

 horticultural papers, are trying to cast a doubt upon the genuineness of the 

 author's personal accomplishments. They merely show to the world their 

 jealous rivalry, and their ignorance of the intellectual powers he possessed. 

 To Peter Henderson will belong for generations to come the credit of popu- 

 larizing, improving and developing gardening in the United States. 



"One of the most beautiful traits in his character was his humility. In 

 his public performance, he was entirely destitute of anything like vanity or 

 self-complacency ; and in his private conduct he was remarkably unassuming 

 and retiring. He was never jealous of anyone's success, and always seemed 

 pleased to know of the advancement of a competitor. In truth, Peter 

 Henderson was among the most humble of men, and when his great talents 

 and achievements are contemplated, his manly virtues, his modesty and 

 humility appear pre-eminently conspicuous, and will tend to enhance the 

 estimation in which he was held by his fellow citizens. Briefly as I have 

 referred to these fine qualities, we all know that their source could only be 

 found in a benevolent heart." 



Peter Henderson's work and writings have exercised a 

 profound influence upom American horticulture, particularly 

 upon vegetable gardening. Gardening foi' Profit marks an 

 epoch in market gardening in this country. Nearly 250,000 

 copies of this work have been sold. This was written in one 

 hundred hours, it is said, while the author was closely pressed 

 by many duties ; and to this fact is probably to be ascribed 

 its directness and conciseness. Its influence lay in its sim- 

 plicity and timeliness. In 1868 Practical Floricttlture appeared, 

 and in 1875 Gardening for Pleasure was written. The Ha7id 

 Book of Plants was published in 1881, Garden and Farm 

 Topics and How the Farm Pays, in 1884. Mr. Henderson's 

 contributions to the agricultural press were also considerable. 

 No American writer has written so much to so good purpose 

 upon the common practices of commercial horticulture. 



The influence of his business successes has been felt far 

 and wide among the horticultural trades, and few men, if any, 

 have done so much to simplify and improve the methods 

 of handling plants for commercial purposes. His personal 

 influence was strong and abiding. A fuller account of his life 

 and work has been published in a pamphlet of forty-eight 

 pages by his son, Alfred Henderson. . 



