136^ STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



erected at Harvard under the direction of Dr. Gra^', within whose 

 walls are arranged and classed thousands of botanical specimens 

 from all parts of the world, is a veritable Mecca for American bota- 

 nists, as well as for naturalists from ever}^ civilized country. The 

 Harvard Botanical Gardens are also visited by thousands of students, 

 and Others who love the flowers for their beauty alone. Dr. Gray 

 planned the gardens himself, and to them devoted much thought. 

 As a medium of instruction, the gardens have ever proved an in- 

 valuable factor in the college course of stud3\ 



He continued his labors as instructor till 1873, since which time 

 he has had the charge of the herbarium, and has devoted himself to 

 its arrangement and to botanical studies. In the midst of these duties 

 he was called to his rest. He died in Cambridge January 30, 1888. 



The results of Prof. Gray's labors are shown in the numerous text- 

 books and papers on botany written by him. The '' Flora of North 

 America" is the work of a lifetime, but his numerous text-books 

 are equally valuable, for as text-books they ma}' safely be regarded 

 as superior to all others upon the same subject. Among these text- 

 books we find ''How Plants Grow," "How Plants Behave," ''Les- 

 sons in Botany," " Manual of Botany," and others. Some of these 

 are beautifull}' written, and so free from technical terms that the}^ 

 are read by children with great pleasure. Men of high attainments 

 in knowledge are said to be unable to write things easily understood 

 by children, but Prof. Gray is a very notable exception to this rule. 



FLORICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 



No longer than thirt}' A'ears ago it was rare to find any other than 

 a foreigner engaged in commercial floriculture. These men had 

 usually been private gardeners, who were mostly uneducated, and 

 without business habits. But to-da}' the men of this calling com- 

 pare favorably in intelligence and business capacit}" with any mer- 

 cantile class. 



Floriculture has attained such importance that it has taken its- 

 place as a regular branch of study in some of our agricultural col- 

 leges. Of late 3'ears, too, scores of young men in all parts of the 

 country have been apprenticing themselves to the large establish- 

 ments near the cities, and already some of these have achieved a 

 high standing ; for the training so received by a lad from sixteen to 

 twenty, better fits him for the business here than ten years of 



