SEPTEMBEn 1, 1921 



The Rorists'^ Review 



27 



^eter Youngers. 



Unexpectedly and quite suddenly 

 Peter Youngers, of Geneva, Neb., died 

 of heart failure at his summer home, 

 near Mercer, Wis., August 15. He was 

 68 years old. Honored as one of the 

 prominent citizens of his home town, 

 Mr. Youngers was also nationally 

 known an,d deeply respected by the 

 nursery trade. For Peter Youngers 

 possessed the invincible qualities that 

 had promoted him from a street urchin 

 in New York city to a recognized leader 

 in the nursery trade; to treasurer and 

 later president of the Nebraska State 

 Horticultural Society, in 1888; to mem- 

 bership in the state board of agricul- 

 ture and in its board of managers; to 

 the president of the Western Associa- 

 tion of Nurserymen, in 1906; to treas- 

 urer of the American Association of 

 Nurserymen in 1913, and later to hon- 

 orary membership in that organization; 

 to a charter membership in the Ne- 

 braska Hall of Agriculture, in 1916, and 

 to many other honors. 



When a youth of 19 years Mr. Young- 

 ers went to Nebraska and found em- 

 ployment as a field hand in the nurser- 

 ies at Crete, Neb. He applied himself 

 wholeheartedly to learning the details 

 of the nursery business and not long 

 after, in connection with A. J. Brown, 

 established the nursery business of 

 Youngers & Co., at Geneva, Neb. This 

 soon became one of the largest nurser- 

 ies in the state, employing from forty to 

 120 men. Later it became known as 

 the Geneva Nurseries. Just a few years 

 ago Mr. Youngers withdrew from the 

 nursery business and applied himself to 

 his other investments. He was the only 

 honorary member of the A. A. N. at the 

 time of his death. 



The funeral took place from the fam- 

 ily home, Thursday afternoon, August 

 18. The funeral services were held on 

 the lawn, to permit room for the many 

 friends who gathered, and the floral 

 offerings from these were numerous and 

 beautiful. 



Perhaps S. C. Bassett, of Gibbon, 

 Neb., long associated with Mr. Youngers 

 on the state board of agriculture and in 

 the Nebraska State Horticultural So- 

 ciety, best describes the character of 

 Mr. Youngers in this tribute: "In the 

 passing of Peter Youngers Nebraska 

 loses one of its grass-root pioneers, one 

 of the builders of the state." 



Herman Oerald Hershey. 



Herman Gerald Hershey was born 

 near Gettysburg, O., December 18, 1880, 

 and died at his home in Clinton, Ind., 

 August 21, 1921, at the age of 40 years. 

 His earlier years were spent in Darke 

 and Miami counties, O., where he began 

 his work as a florist in the greenhouses 

 at Piqua, O. His later business activi- 

 ties in his chosen field were almost 

 wholly in Indiana and Illinois. He was 

 manager of the C. A. Eieman green- 

 houses, at Connersville, Ind., and later 

 owned and operated greenhouses in 

 Marshall, 111., and Clinton and Brazil, 

 Ind. He was aggressive and sincere in 

 all his business relations. 



The widow of the deceased, before 

 their marriage, was Miss Lillian Weltz, 

 of Newcastle, Ind. She and George Von 

 Waitz survive. Other relatives who 

 survive him are his parents, Mr. and 

 Mrs. A. B. Hershey, Piqua, 0.; two sis- 

 ters, Mrs. Maude Frisch and Mrs. Emma 

 Hoyle, both of Piqua, and three broth- 

 ers, F. R. Hershey, Hereford, Tex.; C. 

 B. Hershey, Swansea, Mass., and J. 

 Blaine Hershey, Bradford, 0. One sis- 

 ter, Mrs. Laura Johnson, preceded him 

 in death in 1909. 



Mr. Hershey 's last sickness was of 

 several months' duration, during which 

 time he suffered greatly and was con- 

 fined to his bed about ten weeks. He 

 was patient during his illness and he 

 was calm in the hours and days of a 

 certainty of approaching death, making 

 plans for the continuation of his busi- 

 ness and giving a father 's counsel and 

 admonition to his son, and a husband's 

 love and fond farewell to a devoted 

 companion. His departure will be great- 

 ly felt in business circles, among his 

 relatives and especially in his own home. 



The business will be continued both 

 at Clinton and Brazil by Mrs. Hershey. 



TBOUBLE WITH CALLAS. 



I should like some information as to 

 what is wrong with my calla lilies and 

 I am sending some bulbs so that you can 

 examine them. They were potted little 

 more than a week ago. The center of 

 them seems to rot. I have had this trou- 

 ble at the time the bulbs were drying 

 off. As soon as the leaves would dry 

 off to the bulb the center would start 

 to rot. At such a time I have dug 

 them up and placed them in a dark cel- 

 lar and the rot has stopped. But now 

 when they are planted again I have the 

 same trouble. About one-third of them 

 seems to be lost in the pots now. Will 

 you tell me the trouble? A. J. L. — Mo. 



Peter Youngers. 



You are not the only grower who has 

 more or less trouble with calla bulbs. 

 It is presumed that you cultivate your 

 callas in raised benches or solid beds 

 under glass, as you speak of digging 

 them up and placing them in a dry 

 cellar. It is always well to let the soil 

 get quite dry for a short time before 

 taking up your bulbs, to assist in ripen- 

 ing them. If you dig while the soil is 

 moist and the plants have luxuriant 



Herman G. Hershey. 



green foliage on them, there is more or 

 less danger of rot attacking the bulbs. 

 If you have a spare coldframe, it would 

 be advisable to pack your bulbs closely 

 in flats, just covering them with soil, 

 or a bench in an empty greenhouse 

 would answer if you give the glass a 

 light shade. 



When you pot the bulbs, do not at 

 once soak them with water. If the soil 

 is fairly moist, do not water for a day 

 or two and go lightly on watering until 

 root activity starts. When in active 

 growth, callas can scarcely be over- 

 watered, but the bulbs are easily in- 

 jured by an excess of moisture before 

 the growth starts, especially if the 

 weather is warm. It would be advis- 

 able to go lightly on the water for a 

 time and, while I do not know what 

 your compost may have been, it would 

 be well to leave out chemical fertilizers 

 and animal manure, unless it is well de- 

 cayed. Give them all they want when 

 they are in active growth. C. W. 



NARCISSI FOR NORTH. 



Will you let us know whether varie- 

 ties of narcissi such as Emperor, Sir 

 Watkin and Gloria Mundi are hardy 

 in the latitude of Buffalo, N. Y.f Will 

 Spanish iris thrive in that latitude and 

 can it be grown in coldframes? 



C. B.— Can. 



All the varieties named are just as 

 hardy as poeticus or Golden Spur. Sir 

 Watkin and Emperor do especially well 

 in grass land, as well as in cultivated 

 borders. Spanish iris can be grown in 

 coldframes and also succeeds well out- 

 doors. Do not plant it outside until 

 just before the ground freezes up. I 

 have found it to be just as hardy as the 

 German iris. C. W. 



Mount Morris. Mich.— C. S. H. Chase, 

 prominent in fraternal circles, has gone 

 into business on the Dixie highway, 

 where he has purchased a greenhouse, 

 30x100. He is in the market for car- 

 nations, mum plants, etc. 



