1566 



HORTICULTURISTS 



Breck, Joseph, 1794-1873 (Fig. 1871), Boston seeds- 

 man, and author of "The Flower Garden, or Breck's 

 Book of Flowers," first published in 1851, and reissued 

 in 1866 as the "New Book of Flowers." This was pre- 

 ceded, in 1833, by "The Young Florist." In 1822, he 

 founded the seed business now conducted at 51 North 

 Market Street, under the name of Joseph Breck & Sons. 

 He was one of the original members of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, and its president from 

 1859 to 1862. He edited the old "New England 

 Farmer" for many years, but discontinued it in 1846, 

 when he turned over his list of subscribers to Luther 

 Tucker, of Albany, New York, at the time of the found- 

 ing of "The Horticulturist," which was edited by the 

 illustrious A. J. Downing. He also edited "The Horti- 

 cultural Register" from 1836 to 1838, in company with 

 Thomas Fessenden. The revision of his book in 1866 

 was undertaken when the author was seventy years old. 

 It was a popular book in its day. WILHELM MILLER. 



Bridgeman, Thomas (Fig. 1872), gardener, florist, 

 seedsman and author, was born in Berkshire, England, 

 and came to America in 1824, and established the 

 business which is now conducted under the name of his 



nately, most of his work with raspberries was done with 

 Rubus Idxus, the Old World species, which is not hardy 

 in America, but his yellow-fruited variety of raspberry is 

 still regarded by many as the acme of quality. He was 

 for many years vice-president of the Pennsylvania 

 Horticultural Society, and was regarded as a leader of 

 American pomology. In raising pear seedlings, he was 

 wont to graft and regraft annually, after the second or 

 third year from seed. He thus produced new fruits in 

 half the time required by Van Mons, many of whose 

 novelties did not fruit within twenty years from seed. 

 Dr. Brinckle gave away thousands of grafts to amateurs 

 and tradesmen everywhere, and always prepaid the 

 carriage. In I860 he edited "Hoffy's North American 

 Pomologist," a high-class periodical with colored plates, 

 which, unfortunately, did not survive. Some sprightly 

 anecdotes of Dr. Brinckle are reprinted from the "Gar- 

 dener's Monthly" for 1863, in Bailey's "Evolution of 

 Our Native Fruits." WILHELM MILLER. 



Brown, Jacob G., pomologist, was born in Lewisburg, 

 Pennsylvania, April 26, 1825, and died near Wyoming, 

 Delaware, November 17, 1896. He came to Delaware 

 in March, 1868, and purchased a farm of about 200 



1871. Joseph Breck. 



1872. Thomas Bridgeman. 



1873. William Brinckle. 



son, Alfred Bridgeman, at 37 East Nineteenth Street, 

 New York. An historical account of this business may 

 be found in the catalogue of the present firm. In 1829, 

 Thomas Bridgeman published "The Young Gardener's 

 Assistant," which was many times reprinted and 

 eventually enlarged to five times its original bulk. It 

 was copyrighted in 1847, when it appeared as a large- 

 sized work in three parts, covering fruit, vegetable, and 

 ornamental gardening. Two of these parts were pub- 

 lished separately in the same year as "The Kitchen 

 Gardener's Instructor," and "The Florist's Guide." 

 The first-named work was revised by Sereno Edwards 

 Todd, and republished in 1866 by Alfred Bridgeman. 

 Thomas Bridgeman died in 1850. WILHELM MILLER. 



Brinckle, William Draper (Fig. 1873), physician 

 and amateur pomologist, was born in Delaware. He 

 began the practice of medicine at Wilmington in 1820, 

 moved to Philadelphia in 1825, where he passed most of 

 his life as a busy physician, and died at Groveville, 

 New Jersey, in 1863, at the age of sixty-four. In a 

 room of his Philadelphia home he hybridized straw- 

 berries, and had fruit at every season of the year. He 

 aLo had a little garden about the size of a parlor. He 

 produced the Gushing strawberry, the Wilder, President 

 Cope, Gushing, and Orange raspberries, and the 

 Wilmington and Catherine Gardette pears. Unfortu- 



acres in central Kent County. He immediately planted 

 a peach orchard of 2,700 trees. In 1870 he set another 

 peach orchard and 200 apple trees. In 1872 he set 

 about 20 acres in apples, another 20 acres in peaches, 

 and commenced growing small-fruits, especially red 

 raspberries, increasing until he had 50 acres of red 

 raspberries, and in 1885 nearly the whole farm of 

 200 acres was set in fruit, 100 acres of it in apples. He 

 planted nearly every variety of apples that he could 

 find described in the catalogues of nurserymen. Mr. 

 Brown made a close study of fruit-growing and carried 

 on the business with a great deal of energy. He became 

 a member of the Peninsula Horticultural Society soon 

 after its organization in 1888, and took great delight in 

 talking about his fruit-growing. He was especially 

 enthusiastic about apple-culture. He was one of the 

 pioneers in apple-growing in Delaware and became 

 more sanguine of its great success year by year until his 

 death in 1896. Mr. Brown took an active interest in 

 every movement that was planned to develop fruit- 

 growing, and was a public-spirited citizen. 



WESLEY WEBB. 



Bruner, Thomas Kincaid, was born in Salisbury, 

 North Carolina, on January 17, 1855, and died in Raleigh 

 in February, 1908. For many years his father was editor 

 and owner of the "Salisbury Watchman." Young 

 Bruner, who received his education at Finley's Aca- 



