Mabch 9, 1922 



The Florists^ Review 



37 



Dr. William Warner Tracy. 



The scientific staff of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture suf- 

 fered the loss of one of its foremost 

 workers when death called Dr. William 

 Warner Tracy. He ■was one of the best 

 known horticulturists and seed experts 

 of the country. 

 , Dr. Tracy was 77 years of age, hav- 



|^4feltig been born in the state of Ohio in 

 1845, While a small boy he moved 

 with his parents to Vermont. At the 

 outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in 

 Company D, 45th Maspachusetrs in- 

 fantry, refusing a commission as cap- 

 tain, preferring to serve as a private, 

 in the belief that in that capacity he 

 could best render service to the United 

 States. He served with his company 

 until September 2, 1863, when he was 

 invalided home. 



After a long period of convalescence, 

 he entered the Michigan Agricultural 

 College, where he soon distinguished 

 himself in botanical and horticultural 

 lines. Soon after graduation from the 

 college he became connected with the 

 firm of D. M. Ferr^ & Co., seedsmen, of 

 Detroit, Mich., stad was assigned to 

 the task of devaJipping a trial ground 

 and plant breediM department for that 

 firm. Dr. Tracy Jf services with D. M. 

 Ferry & Co. woi^or him a world-wide 

 reputation as alT expert in vegetable 

 varieties and as a practical plant 

 breeder. 



As a plant breeder he did much pion- 

 eer work and in 1903 he entered the 

 service of the Department of Agriculture 

 and from that time he devoted a great 

 deal of attention to the study of horti- 

 cultural varieties and vegetables. He 

 also wrote a number or books and 

 a great number of bulletins on this 

 subject and has been regarded as a 

 leading authority in his lines of in- 

 vestigation. In fact, in view of his 

 accomplishments he was given the 

 honorary degree of doctor of science by 

 the Michigan Agricultural College. Dr. 

 Tracy retired from active service in 

 the Department of Agriculture April 

 22, 1921, after having completed eighteen 

 years of continuous service. 



He passed away at the home of his 

 son, John E. W. Tracy, 2927 Macomb 

 street, northwest. Besides the latter, he 

 is survived by three other sons; namely, 

 Will W. Tracy, Fort Collins, Colo.; 

 Harry W. Tracy and Stephen W. Tracy, 

 of San Francisco, Cal. T. N. S. 



Hugh Williamson. 



Hugh Williamson, gardener for sev- 

 eral years on the Williajn Astor estate, 

 Newport, R. I., died Wednesday, March 

 1, at his home in thafrjclty. He was 62 

 years of age. Taken/iU the latter part 

 of last year, he had gradually failed 

 since. 



A native of ScotlaM^ he came to this 

 country many years ago and had been 

 favorably known as a gardener in New- 

 port, R. I., for more than thirty years. 

 He was an active member of the First 

 Presbyterian church, in which he held 

 several high ofi&ces. He was also a 

 member of the Newport Horticultural 

 Society. He is survived by his wife, 

 two sons, James Williamson, of the Rog- 

 ers high school faculty, Newport, and 



George Williamson, of New York; and 

 by one daughter. Miss Janet William- 

 son, of the faculty of Cornell Univer- 

 sity. W. H. M. 



Mrs. Arthur Bryant. 



Mrs. Arthur Bryant, nee Elizabeth 

 Hughes, the wife of the well known 

 nurseryman of Princeton, 111,, died Feb- 

 ruary 23, at the family residence. She 

 was 70 years of age. All her life she 

 had been a thorough Christian and was 

 the mother of a fine family. 



Funeral services were held at the 

 home Saturday afternoon, February 25. 

 She is survived by the following sons 

 and daughters, besides her husband and 

 fourteen grandchildren: Mrs. M. N. 

 Baldwin, Mrs. Edith Brigdon, Guy A. 

 Bryant and Miss Cassandra Bryant, of 

 Princeton; Harry Bryant, Chicago, and 

 Ralph Bryant, New Haven, Conn. 



Henry Gompf. 



Henry Gompf, of Logan, O., passed 

 away January 23, The deceased was 83 

 years of age. All his life he had been 

 a fine citizen, public-spirited and indus- 

 trious. 



He was a veteran of the Civil war, 

 having served three years with credit. 

 After his army service he located at 

 Waverly, O., and took up gardening. 

 In 1873 he went to Logan, O., and start- 

 ed in the greenhouse business, under the 

 name of Gompf 's Greenhouse. The busi- 

 nes was a great success, enabling Mr. 

 Gompf to retire in a period of fifteen 

 years after the business started. A son, 

 C. H. Gompf, purchased the place and 

 the concern is still under his manage- 

 ment, although greatly improved and 

 modernized. 



At the funeral a profusion of floral 

 offerings from many friends showed the 

 regard in which Mr. Gompf had been 

 held. He is survived by three sons, all 

 of whom are engaged in their father's 

 calling. They are C. H. Gompf, of Lo- 

 gan, O.; Frank Gompf, Cleveland, and 

 Fred Gompf, of Petersburg, Ind. 



Newton M. Comly. 



Newton M, Comly, a well known and 

 successful grower of Bustleton, Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., died at Jacksonville, Fla., 

 February 28, after a year 's illness. Mr. 

 Comly was 58. He was a grower of 

 flowers and vegetables. He was noted 

 for his fine sweet peas, carnations and 

 violets. He was at one time councilman 

 from the Thirty-fifth ward, a Knight 

 Templar and a thirty-second degree 

 Mason. Surviving him are his widow 

 and children. Burial took place from 

 his residence at Bustleton, March 4. 



lYederick J, Both, 



The death of Frederick J. Roth, aged 

 59, 305 East Fifth avenue, Columbus, O., 

 occurred at his home Saturday, February 

 18, due to a complication of diseases. 

 He had been in the florists' business at 

 the above address since 1889. 



Surviving him are his wife, a son, 

 Carl; two brothers and two sisters. He 

 was a member of Ohio camp, Modern 

 Woodmen of the World, and St. Luke's 

 Lutheran church. Funeral services were 

 held at the residence February 22. In- 

 terment was at Green Lawn cemetery. 



.'in :tbun(laiic(' of funerals. Bulbous plants 

 are coining along splendidly for the 

 Easter trade. This is particularly true 

 of Easter lilies. 



Various Notes. 



One of the most beautiful functions 

 of the season was the Bassick wedding, 

 February 25. Gustave Herthal had the 

 decorations. A splendid effect was de- 

 rived from roses, carnations, lilies and 

 spring flowers by the thousands. At St. 

 John's church, where the ceremony was 

 performed, were baskets of White Kil- 

 larney roses from which hung showers 

 of ribbons, tied with white carnations. 

 The altar was banked with palms and 

 Easter lilies. At the home of the bride, 

 where a reception was held, were palms 

 and Ophelia roses, which gave a fine ef- 

 fect. Spring flowers looked charming at 

 the Country Club, where the party was 

 entertained. 



John Reck & Son were kept busy last 

 week filling orders for corsage bouquets. 

 Carl Reck says that all their bulbous 

 plants are coming along splendidly for 

 Easter. Funeral work here is in abun- 

 dance. 



The Park Gardens Flower Shop was 

 busy last week filling orders for the 

 many large balls which have been held 

 here recently. General trade here has 

 been good. 



Albert Vogel and Victor Carwardine 

 are seen about the city in new delivery 

 cars. 



Robert Hawkins, of Fairfield avenue, 

 says cut flowers are plentiful. These 

 come in handy for his funeral orders, 



James Horan & Son made a beautiful 

 casket cover of white carnations and 

 valley for the Sturgis funeral, at Fair- 

 field, Conn. Mr. Sturgis was a New 

 York banker. I. L. B. 



CHICAGO, 



The Market, 



BBIDGEPOBT, CONN. 



The Market. 



The weather here has been favorable. 

 The cut flower trade has been fine, with 



Last week we had the unusual condi- 

 tion of a market gaining strength with 

 the advent of Lent. Just why, nobody 

 seems to know, but the fact is that the 

 week preceding Ash Wednesday was 

 excellent and the week following even 

 better. At closing time Saturday night, 

 March 4, the market was cleaner than 

 it had been since the passing of the mid- 

 winter shortage. Shipping was strong 

 March 3 and city business was unusu- 

 ally active March 4. Orders for both 

 roses and carnations were shipped short 

 for the first time in several weeks. Of 

 course, prices stiffened. 



Stock is not what one could call scarce 

 — it never is at this season of the year 

 — but the supply decreased as the de- 

 mand increased. Rose crops are down 

 and carnations have been going off for 

 several days. That the condition is 

 more or less general throughout the mid- 

 dle west is shown by the character of 

 the orders received by the wholesalers 

 here. While roses, as intimated last 

 week, are being cropped for Easter, 

 there still are enough to supply all those 

 who can pay the growers living prices. 

 Conditions such as those of February 

 would have been disastrous if long con- 

 tinued. Prices still are below those of 

 a year ago, both on roses and carna- 

 tions. The average price of carnations, 

 however, has been greatly improved by 

 the present ability to make clean sales, 

 without resorting to the bargain offer 

 method. 



Sweet peas are abundant and still sell 



(CoDtlnued on pace 42.) 



