1602 



HORTICULTURISTS 



HORTICULTURISTS 



Warder, John Aston (Kg. 1906), physician, author, 

 horticulturist and forester, was born at Philadelphia, 

 January 19, 1812. His early hfe was spent in a suburban 

 home, where he evinced a love of nature which he cher- 

 ished through life. Bartram and Darlington were among 

 his neighbors and he met in his fatlier's house men Uke 

 Audubon, Michaux and Nuttall. In 1830 his parents 

 moved to Springfield, Ohio, where he helped clear up a 

 farm and fu-st became interested in agricultural sciences 

 and comjiarative anatomy. He was graduated at Jeffer- 

 son Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1836. He settled 

 in Cincinnati in 1837 and began the active practice of 

 medicine. He was early elected a member of the school 

 board and did faithful service for many years, making 

 it his business to travel through the eastern states and 

 cities to study systems of teaching in order to introduce 

 improved plans into the Cincinnati schools. He was 

 actively interested in and a prominent member of the 

 Cincinnati Astronomical Society, the Western Acad- 

 emj' of Natural Sciences, the Cincinnati Society of 

 Natural History. He was one of the founders of the 

 Cincinnati Horticultural Society and the Wine-Grow- 

 ers' Association. He was also prominent in the old 

 Cincinnati College and afterward in both the Ohio 

 and Miami Medical Colleges. He was for many years 

 president of the Ohio Horticultural Society and vice- 

 president of the American Pomological Society. He 

 was among the first to draw public attention to the 

 improvement of public grounds, private parks and 

 cemeteries. The present interest in landscape-garden- 

 ing in this country is largely due to his efforts and WTit- 

 ings. He was interested in establishing the famous 

 Spring Grove Cemetery, one of the earhest and best of 

 landscape or lawn cemeteries, and was one of the first 

 residents of Clifton, whence he moved to a farm near 

 North Bend, Ohio, formerly owned by President Har- 

 rison. There he spent most of his time in testing varie- 

 ties of fruit and methods of culture, and prepared 

 numerous practical papers for horticultural societies 

 and other readers, and in fact established a private 

 experiment station. 



In 1850 he began the publication of the "Western 

 Horticultural Review," which continued four years. 



In one number is con- 

 tained the first descrip- 

 tion of the Catalpa 

 speciosa, now recog- 

 nized as one of the 

 valuable forest trees. 

 His report of the Flax 

 and Hemp Commis- 

 sion, published by the 

 Government in 1865, 

 was the result of much 

 patient study and in- 

 vestigation. "Hedges 

 and Evergreens' ' ap- 

 peared in 1858. "Amer- 

 ican Pomology — 

 Ajjples," published in 

 1867, was the result 

 of more than sixteen 

 years of careful study, 

 aided by hundreds of 

 correspondents in vari- 

 ous parts of the central 

 states. It is still con- 

 sidered a standard authority on description and varie- 

 ties of apples, containing a table of varieties and syno- 

 nyms of over 1,500 names. 



A report upon forests and forestry was the result of 

 his visit to the World's Fair at Vienna in 1873, as United 

 States Commissioner. In 1875 he issued a call for a 

 convention at Chicago to form an American Forestry 

 Society, which organization was completed at Phila- 

 delphia in September, 1876. The public was not yet 



1906. John Aston Warder. 



impressed with the importance of the subject, but this 

 pioneer association gave impetus to the plans for united 

 effort. In 1879-80, with the approval of various socie- 

 ties. Dr. Warder memoriahzed Congress, asking for a 

 commission for the .study of forestry in Europe, but 

 general interest was not thoroughly aroused until, 

 largely through his efforts, the American Forestry Con- 

 gress held its meeting in Cincinnati in April, 1882. He 

 was honorary president of the Ohio State Forestry 

 Society, prepared strong memorials to Congress on 

 behalf of the forests and was shortly afterward ap- 

 pointed agent of the Department of Agriculture to 

 rei50rt upon forestry of the northwestern states. He 

 was devoted in his interest in all which concerns rural 

 life and industry; his efforts had a great and marked 

 effect on the horticulture and outdoor art of the great 

 central states. Death ended an active and useful life 

 July 14, 1883. r. h. Warder. 



Wellhouse, Frederick, judge and pomologist, was 

 born in Wayne County, Ohio, November 16, 1828, 

 and died at Topeka, Kansas, January 10, 1911. He 

 was the son of a pioneer and received his early educa- 

 tion in the typical log schoolhouse of the early days. He 

 got his knowledge of farming at first hand on his 

 father's 300-acre farm. In 1858 he pubhshed the 

 "Indiana Farmer," a monthly agricultural paper, 

 which he sold to his partner, J. N. Ray, in 1859, and 

 afterward moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, and 

 engaged in horticulture. During the Civil War, he 

 was cajitain of the 19th Regiment, Kansas State 

 Mihtia. He was elected county commissioner of 

 Leavenworth County in 1861 by an almost unanimous 

 vote. He was the Republican nominee for senator in 

 1864, but was defeated. He served two terms in the 

 Kansas legislature, 1884^8. He was an active member of 

 the State Horticultural Society, almost from its organi- 

 zation, and was for fifteen years its treasurer and four 

 years its president. He represented the state of Kansas 

 in the fruit display for the World's Columbian Exposi- 

 tion, Chicago, 1903, and did much pioneer work in 

 Kansas horticulture in early days when that work 

 demanded a leader. He represented the state's fruit 

 industry at the various state fairs and the national 

 expositions. He planted the largest commercial orchard 

 in Kansas, and it was for many years the largest apple 

 orchard in the world, an orchard of over 1,600 acres, 

 that justly entitled him to the name of the "Apple 

 King." This initial orchard was planted in 1876, and 

 he added to the plantings for a number of years. In 

 1880 the yield from his orchard was 80,000 bushels 

 besides the culls and it required 200 cars to ship them 

 east. The yield for eleven years, from his first plant- 

 ings, was 239,135 bushels which sold for $125,118.25. 

 In the twenty-five years' trial of his commercial orchard 

 he found Jonathan the most profitable variety; Missouri 

 (Pippin) second best; Ben Davis third and Winesap 

 fourth. G. B. Brackett. 



"Wharton, Silas, pioneer nurseryman and pomologist, 

 was born in 1775 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He ' 

 removed to Waynesville, Ohio, about 1820 and was a 

 celebrated pioneer nurseryman of that state. He grew 

 Morello, May Duke and Carnation cherries. Red June, 

 Summer Pearmain, Trenton Early, Summer Rose, Eng- 

 hsh Hagloe, Ribston, Golden Pippin, Pennock and many 

 other well-known apples. The Miami Valley and the 

 neighborhood about Dayton, Ohio, are more indebteil to 

 Silas Wharton for intelligent fruit-growing at an earlj- 

 day, than perhaps to any other man. He was a warm 

 friend of Coxe, the pioneer pomologist and author, and 

 doubtless Coxe secured much valuable data from him 

 for his book, "A View of American Fruits." Silas 

 Wharton died in 1858. G. B. Brackett. 



White, William Nathaniel, teacher, horticulturist 

 and editor, was born in Stamford, Connecticut, Novem- 



