70 JAMESTOWN CONGRESS OF HORTICULTURE 



Hasketh, who settled in Hallowell, Me., in 1797, and was not after- 

 wards heard of. In 1824, Andre Parmentier, from Enghien, Holland, 

 settled in Brooklyn and established nurseries where he gave an example 

 of the natural style of laying out grounds. As the first American land- 

 scape gardener, Mr. Parmentier soon had many clients from all parts 

 of the country, and even from Canada, to whom he furnished plans 

 and plants. Mr. Downing considered that Mr. Parmentier had done 

 much more for landscape gardening in America than any other indi- 

 vidual. It is our turn to pay the same compliment to Mr. Downing, 

 whose masterly works on landscape gardening, although written about 

 seventy years ago, are still the standards. 



In the economic line of horticulture there has been progress also. 

 In New England we have now not only delicacies for the sick and 

 luxuries for the wealthy, as our ordinary garden vegetables and fruit 

 were considered in the early days, we go much further we have gard- 

 eners who produce asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, string beans, mel- 

 ons, etc., as freely during December, January and on to June or July, 

 as they are produced in the open ground in their season. One New- 

 port gardener ships to his employer in New York a bushel or two of 

 melons weekly. Another on the north shore of Massachusetts sent in 

 during March a daily supply of fresh peas, sweet corn, etc. 



COMMERCIAL HORTICULTURE. 



In commercial floriculture the East has made great progress. 1 

 need only recall Lawson and Enchantress carnations raised by Peter 

 Fisher of Boston; the work of the Waban Rose Conservatories, the 

 recent new roses of M. H. Walsh of Woods Holl, Mass., which are 

 quite as popular in Europe as they are here. 



The concentration of wealth in New York ensures for the eastern 

 florist the highest price for choice flowers. It also affords the private 

 gardener the largest opportunity for the pursuit of his profession. 

 Within the past five years there seems to have- been much greater inter- 

 est on the part of the wealthy class than formerly, in horticulture anc 1 

 rural life. This may be accounted for partly by travel, and a desire to 

 have such gardens as are seen in Europe, but I think it is due rather 

 to the fact that the automobile has rendered the country home more 

 accessible to the business man. The interest of the well-to-do in horti- 

 culture is further manifested by their support and activity in societies 

 for its promotion, as the New York Botanical Society, the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society and others. 



The three largest eastern cities have each much to be proud of 

 horticulturally. Although the Bowery is no longer the Governor's 

 garden, New York has a notable horticultural institution in Bronx, 

 Philadelphia has her beautiful Fairmount park, sections of which are 

 notable gardens of the past two centuries. Boston has always been at 

 the front in horticultural work. No institution in the country has done 

 as much as the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The names of 

 General Dearborn, H. H. Hunnewell, Marshal P. Wilder, C. M. Hovey 



