1588 



HORTICULTURISTS 



HORTICULTURISTS 



discovered the Englemann Canon in the Wasatch 

 Mountains; in Alaska, he discovered the movements of 

 plants in connection with the movements of glaciers; 

 at the close of the war, he went South as a member of a 

 committee to restore confidence and business relations 

 between the two sections; he made what is supposed to 

 be the first complete hst of plants in Kew Gardens, over 

 1,600 plants being recorded; he was largely instrumental 

 in the establishment of the Department of Forestry 

 in Pennsylvania. w. E. Meehan. 



in Cyclo. Amer. Agric. 



Miller, Samuel, pioneer plant-breeder, horticultural 

 writer and plant-disseminator, was born at Lancaster, 

 Pennsylvania, in 1820, and died at Bluffton, Missouri, 

 in 1901. At Calmdale, Pennsylvania, he began the 

 breeding of grapes, about the time of the introduction 

 of the Concord. In 1867 he removed to BlulTton, 

 Missouri. Here he brought together a notable collec- 

 tion of the various types and varieties of fruits and orna- 

 mentals. He did notable work in testing the adapta- 

 biUty of varieties to the central West, and his advice 

 as to what sorts to plant in this section was sought by 

 horticulturists, not only in Missouri but in surrounding 

 states. Scores of plant-breeders sent him their new 

 varieties to be tested, knowing that he would not only 

 express a frank and honest opinion but that his judg- 

 ment was sound, due to his extensive acquaintance 

 with existing varieties. In addition to his work in 

 introducing and testing varieties originated by others, 

 he gave an important share of his time and energy to 

 plant-breeding, most notably with grapes. No less than 

 half a dozen varieties of his grapes have found a place 

 in our pomological Ust, among them Martha, Black 

 Hawk, Eva and Louise. He was an advocate of close 

 breeding, for the reason, expressed by him, that his 

 hybrids "broke up into many forms, giving uncertain 

 results," while his close-bred seedlings, particularly of 

 Concord and its descendants, "gave a large percentage 

 of promising sorts." He originated the Captain Jack 

 strawberry, which for two decades was largely used as 

 a pollinator of Crescent in the berry fields of the West. 

 During the later years of his life he was engaged in the 

 amelioration of the native persimmon, of which he 

 propagated a score of promising sorts, among them the 

 Josephine. • 



For a third of a century Judge Miller was an officer 

 of the Missouri State Horticultural Society, modestly 

 declining to accept its presidency, often tendered him 

 by its members. The annual reports of this organiza- 

 tion contain many papers by Judge Miller. For a 

 third of a century he also contributed regularly to the 

 horticultural columns of "Coleman's Rural World." 

 His writings are clear and sound. They were a distinct 

 contribution to the horticulture of the author's gen- 

 eration. J c. Whitten. 



Moon, James, and his descendants, have been of 

 importance in the development of ornamental horti- 

 culture in America. Descended from English parentage, 

 James Moon came to America in 1681 and purchased 

 a tract of land near Morrisville. His grandson, also 

 James Moon, took up a large tract in Bucks County, 

 Pennsylvania, in 1749, and devoted a part of his 

 time to the raising of fruit trees. Records of his trans- 

 actions as early as 1769 are still in possession of the 

 family, although no extended commercializing was 

 attempted by any of the decendants until 1849, when 

 Mahlon Moon purchased a tract near the Delaware 

 River at Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and engaged in 

 the nursery business, issuing his first catalogue in that 

 year. With no desire for an extensive business, he 

 laid substantial foundations for promoting a more 

 general planting of ornamental trees and from the 

 start largely specialized in these. He was the origi- 

 natorof the Numbo chestnut and introducer of fooc/iorda 

 grandiflora and Azalea amasna, all of which he propa- 



gated very extensively. Mahlon Moon was bom 1814 

 and died 1887. 



Wm. H. Moon, oldest son of Mahlon Moon, was born 

 in the nursery homestead of his father, Morrisville, 

 Pennsylvania, 1849, and after completing his education 

 continued for a time in the business of his father, but 

 in 1872 established nurseries of his own in the same 

 community, putting a strong spirit of commerciahsm 

 into his business and from the first speciaUzing in orna- 

 mental trees, especially in evergreens. He was probably 

 one of the first persons to make a strong plea for more 

 extensive use of this valuable class of trees and did 

 more than any one man to promote new methods of 

 culture and development into plants of individual 

 merit and perfect outline. The business which he had 

 thus started in a small way grew steadily through his 

 persistent efforts until the time of his death in 1911. 

 With his business activities Wm. H. Moon always found 

 time to take a keen interest in affairs aside from his 

 business. He was much interested in educational 

 matters, giving his time and interest for their benefit. 

 He was an active member of the Pennsylvania Horti- 

 cultural Society and for seven years its president. In 

 1905 he was very active in founding the Pennsylvania 

 Nurserymen's Association and was its first president. 

 He was also a member of the National Nurserymen's 

 Association and was one of the organizers of the Orna- 

 mental Growers' Association. His strong desire from 

 the time of engaging in business was to put the utmost 

 commercialism into horticulture and he was rewarded 

 by the very extensive growth of his business. 



Samuel C. Moon (1854-1911), the second son of 

 Mahlon Moon, continued the nursery business estab- 

 lished by his father. He was a thorough lover of horti- 

 culture and his trees were his friends, his home being 

 surrounded with many rare specimens planted by his 

 father or collected and established by his own hands. 

 His main development was in the fine of ornamental 

 horticulture, of which he was a rare student, contribu- 

 ting frequently to literature on the subject and occa- 

 sionally addressing audiences on plant life. He was an 

 authority on evergreens. Samuel Moon devoted many 

 years to the best welfare of his community. He was 

 active in educational and religious work. At the time 

 of his death Samuel Moon was president of the Penn- 

 sylvania Nurserymen's Association. . 



Henry T. Moon. 



Moore, Jacob, pomologist, was born at Brighton, 

 New York, in 1836. His life-work was the development 

 of new fruits, which he produced in large numbers by 

 scientific plant-breeding. He was the originator of the 

 Diploma currant. Red Cross currant. Hooker straw- 

 berry, Brighton, Diana-Hamburg and Moore's Dia- 

 mond grapes, Barr Seckel pear and thousands of other 

 fruits which have enriched the fruit-growers of America 

 many thousands of dollars, but which brought him 

 hardly a sufficient pittance to keep body and soul 

 together. He also expended a competent private for- 

 tune in the work. He passed much of the late years of 

 his life in trying to secure congressional legislation 

 that would protect originators of fruit varieties, but 

 his efforts were, unfortunately, without avail. Mr. 

 Moore was a member of the Western New York Horti- 

 cultural Society for nearly fifty years and was widely 

 known among horticulturists. He died at Canan- 

 daigua. New York, in the winter of 1908. 



G. B. Brackett. 



Munson, Thomas Volney (Fig. 1890), nurseryman, 

 grape-grower and author, was bom September 26, 1843, 

 near Astoria, Illinois, and died January 21, 1913. He 

 received his education from the public schools of Illi- 

 nois, the academy at Lewiston, Bryant-Stratton Busi- 

 ness College and the LIniversity of Kentucky. In 1906 

 the University of Kentucky conferred upon him the 

 degree of D.Sc. Dr. Munson located at Denison, 

 Texas, where all his industrial, scientific and literary 



