I02 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



enterprises, has been his extensive horticultural 

 writings. On culinary vegetable and flower 

 growing his pen has given forth more valuable 

 material than that of any other writer in our 

 country. Aside from his frequent contributions 

 over many years to this and other horticultural 

 journals, he has written five volumes all of 

 which have met with, an extensive sale some 

 enormously so. His first work " Gardening for 

 Profit" appeared in 186«) and of which nearlj- 

 150,000 copies have been sold. Following close 

 was " Practical Floriculture " of a similar nature 

 to the first but devoted to the growing of plants 

 for sale. These two books, so strong and clear 

 in guiding inexperienced cultivators along the 

 course of successful practice, have led thousands 

 of persons in every state and territor.v in the 

 union to a comparatively easy and lucrative 

 business. In 1875- his " Gardening for Pleasure " 

 was published and more than 25,000 copies have 

 been sold. His two other works are '* How the 

 Farm Pays" and " Henderson's Hand-book of 

 Plants and General Horticulture," the latter a 

 treatise of great value, and which has recently 

 been revised and improved. 



The popularity of his writings is due to their 

 lieing eminently practical clear and concise, and 

 to their advocacy of garden reforms and certain 

 radical cultural rules upon which their author 

 based his own success, but which were quite 

 severely opposed by the more conservative 

 school. YoT years after issuing his earlier works 

 many of the leading topics advanced were dis- 

 cussed with great \igor in the horticultural press 

 of the day. This gave the brilliant young 

 author an opportunity to appear in theirjdefence 

 a thing which he did with great ability and plea- 

 sure. He lived to see many of bis radical 

 methods of culture widely adopted. Still Mr. 

 Henderson was a man who could give up a 

 cherished hobby most gracefully if time showed 

 its unsoundness. " We know better than that 

 now " was often heai-d from his lips in late years 

 as he referred to same abandoned practice. It is 

 not too much to say that his thoroughly practical 

 writings have made an impress on his time tor 

 improved methods and profits in horticulture, 

 beyond those of any other person. Thousands 

 all over the country thank the day that brought 

 them in contact with Peter Henderson's writings. 



It was the characteristic love for improve 

 ments in methods as well as in things that led 

 the deceased to so zealously seek out and dissem- 

 inate new varieties of vegetables and flowers. 

 Undoubtedly Mr. Henderson's name is associated 

 with a larger number of new varieties of real 

 merit than that of any other American horticul- 

 turist. 



As a beUever in the spread of sound informa- 

 tion on gardening, Mr Henderson was in love 

 with every effort in this line by whomsoever pur- 

 sued. Thus he was a most valued friend of the 

 present Journal and aided not a little in gi\-ing 

 it its present substantial standing and large cir- 

 culation. The writer's intimate acquaintance 

 with the deceased dates from the year 1871 when 

 as a young man he served a special term of ap- 

 prenticeship in his establishment in Jersey City. 

 He was then not long in discovering what thous- 

 ands of others had before and have since dis- 

 covered, that Mr, Henderson was the true friend 

 of;e very deserving young gardener with whom he 

 came In contact. The reciprocal regard existing 

 between him and all who were in his employ was 

 remarkable. Nearly every man in his serrice 

 was of his own training. He had some men 

 working for him at the time of his death who 

 had been in his employ twenty. eight years, and 

 many who had been with him for twenty years 

 and more. All without exception entertained 

 the utmost esteem for their good friend and 

 employer. His friendliness towards .voung Eu- 

 ropean gardeners who, following his steps of 

 forty seven years ago, came to New York was 

 well known. Hundreds turned to him for assis- 

 tance and advice which was never withheld. 

 One such, who now is a verj' successful florist 

 in Buffalo, said to the writer within a week after 

 his death " he was the father of us all." Such 

 indeed is the remembrance cherished for Peter 

 Henderson by thousands all over this land. 



Mr. Henderson was an active and influential 

 meml)er of the Society of American Florists 

 having served continuouly on its executive 

 board for years. He was also a member of the 

 New York Horticultural Society, the New York 

 Florist Club, the Seed Dealers Association of the 

 United States, besides belonging to a number of 

 merely local societies. He was one of the best 

 known and most public spirited men of his city. 



He never held a public office and did not take an 

 active part in politics. When his name was men- 

 tioned last fall in connection with the Guberna- 

 torial nomination he declared that it was with- 

 out his consent, and said he would not accept 

 the office of Governor if he received a unani- 

 mous election. He was above all else devoted 

 to his business and to his famUy. 



Mr. Henderson leaves a wife, two sons Alfred 

 and Charles, one daughter, Mrs R. Floyd. He 

 was married twice. His first wife was a Miss 

 Gibson, and the second, who survives him, was a 

 daughter of John Reid, of Jersey City. 



Distillation of Plant Oils. 



The distillation of Peppermint oil is an 

 important local indiistrv of Wayne County 

 in this State; and there it usually pays the 

 farmer much better than other common 

 farm crops. In a recent report from the 

 American Consul at Marseilles we find a 

 description of the distillation of essential 

 oils from various other species of plants, 

 such as Lavender, Thyme, Fennel, etc., as 

 carried on in southeastern France. 



The region of aromatic plants is a moun- 

 tainous country. Lyon, the center of the 

 distilling industry, being in the valley of the 

 river Aigues. The most useful plants are 

 Lavender, wild Thyme, Rosemary, Rue, 

 Sage and Fennel, which last grows along 

 the margins of mountain streams. Of these 

 by far the most important is the Lavender 

 (LnvcnduUi tioTO.The harvest enlists a large 

 share of the peasant population: and in good 

 seasons the people who gather and sell Lav- 

 ender to the distillers, at prices ranging 

 from .5 francs to 8 francs perlOO kilogrammes, 

 are able to earn thereby as much as 4s. a 

 day, wages that are considered magnificent 

 in a country of scant employment and ill- 

 requitted labor. 



The distillation of Lavender on an indus- 

 trial scale was begun more than a century 

 ago in the neighborhood of Grasse; but dur- 

 ing recent years the business has extended 

 inland and westward until Drome, the most 

 westerly department of the district, now 

 produces 66,000 of the 125,000 lbs. of oil ot 

 Lavender manufactured throughout the 

 country of France. 



In many places Lavender, Rosemary, 

 Thyme, and other aromatic plants are dis- 

 tilled by farmers and small operators in the 

 villages and communes. The harvest of 

 Lavender begins about the first of July, 

 and continues until the end of September. 

 The best results in quantity and quality are 

 obtained by distillation of the first plants in 

 the season of blossoming, but as these are 

 available only during one quarter of the 

 year, the Lavender is dried like hay, and 

 furnishes material for distillation during 

 nine or ten months. The same is true of 

 Aspic {Lnvnndulfi spica). which is known 

 as " Garden Lavender." but all are, like the 

 true Lavender, at their best when in the 

 season of full flower, which varies according 

 to the respective species from April until 

 into summer. 



The practical process of distillation varies 

 but slightly for all these varieties, and the 

 same apparatus is often used successfully 

 for each kind of plant as its season of flower- 

 ing and harvest arrives. Three himdred 

 pounds of dried Lavender plants, or 220 lbs. 

 of Aspic, are required to produce one pound 

 of essential oil. The refuse plants are dried 

 and used as litter for stables and manure. 

 In medicine it is employed as an excitant 

 and tonic in the treatment of paralysis, hy- 

 pochondria and epilepsy. 



All this class of essential oils, including 

 those of Thyme, Rosemary and Fennel, vary 

 greatly in grade and consequent value, ac- 

 cording to season of distillation, the skill 

 and care with which the plants are .selected, 

 and the process of manufacture. The dis- 

 tillation of essential oils from aromatic 

 plants, and the manufacture of perfumes 



from cultivated flowers are profitable indus- 

 tries peculiar to Southern France; and have 

 become prectically monopolies for no other 

 apparent reason than that they were first 

 successfully undertaken here, and the world 

 of- consumers is content to believe that 

 original brands are best. 



Choice Fruits Not Often Mentioned. 



SASniEL MILLER, MONTGOMERV CO., Ml). 



Gkapes. Of late the Gipthe Grape we 

 hear but little about except in the cata- 

 logues. To my taste it is very good and I 

 still grow it, and the only reason I can give 

 for its not being more popular in market is 

 because the skin is so tender when ripe that 

 the berries will burst often even with the 

 most careful handling and packing. It is 

 true it eats pretty well before fully colored, 

 when it is not so liable to burst, and is then 

 sold as a white grape; btit to have it in 

 perfection it is nearly as dark as the Catawba. 



For a red Grape Woodruff Red has a bright 

 future. It is not only large and very hand- 

 some, but of much better quality than was 

 by some awarded it. A good grower, pro- 

 ductive and perfectly hardy. 



Moore's Diamond is to my taste the best 

 of the whites, also a hardy, strong grower, 

 large bunch and berry and very beautiful. 



Apples. How seldom do we hear of the 

 Newtown Spitzenberg Apple, yet for a high- 

 flavored, tender-fleshed (smooth as cheese) 

 .Apple there are few Its equal. It is true it 

 is a little liable to drop premature, but if 

 put away, the fallen ones will keep a few 

 months. This with me is a good grower 

 and regular bearer. 



The Red Kentucky Crab Apple planted for 

 a Jotiathan has fruited with me for three 

 years, and recently I sent a few to an editor 

 who thinks it the Red Kentucky. If this is 

 correct we have no use for Hugh's Virginia 

 Crab any more, as it is a much larger Apple, 

 smoother and cleaner, and makes a superb 

 cider^that will keep all winter without fer- 

 menting if kept in a cool place. The fact is 

 one might put them away and make cider 

 any time from now until April, for it will 

 keep all winter, and make a superb jelly or 

 preserve, the dark red skin imparting a fine 

 colorto the product. 



Notes from the Popular Gardening 



Grounds at La Salle-on-the- 



Niagara. 



Tomato Varieties. Among the 50 new sorts 

 of Tomatoes which we had on our grounds the 

 past season, there arc quite a number which 

 would seem to satisfy all reasonable demands of 

 the grower, both tor market and home use. In 

 point of fact we now have so many good, we 

 might say almost perfect. Tomatoes, that we are 

 sometimes at a loss to decide which to retain on 

 our list and which to drop out. 



The earliest good specimens we had again from 

 the Dwarf Champion; yet there are always but 

 few of them, and the rest of the crop ripens 

 slowl.v and extending over the whole season. 

 This makes it a good crop for the home grower, 

 but we do not think it will produce anything like 

 many of our standard varieties. Potato Ijcaf 

 again pleased us very much. It is an enormous, 

 somewhat spreading grower, producing its hand- 

 some and invariably smooth purple fruit, which 

 is of good size, solid and fine-flavored all through 

 the season. The older of Livingston's Tomatoes, 

 Paragon, Perfection and Favorite, also Cardinal, 

 developed their usual good points. In Living- 

 ston's Beauty we have never been able to discover 

 the merits claimed for it. 



In real meritorious novelties among Tomatoes 

 the season of 1889 has t>cen far more prolific than 

 any we can remember. It is remarkable, too, 

 that the choicest of these are somewhat similar 

 in general characteristics, both fruit and gi-owth. 

 Most people could have gone through our patches 

 of Lorillard, Matchless (Burpee's', Ignotum and 

 Early Ohio, without suspecting that they were 

 different varieties. These form denser, com- 

 pacter bushes, and grow rather more upright 

 than any of Livingston's or any of the older 

 sorts, while the beautiful, smooth, scarlet fruit 



