lJKtKMi!i;i: 14, 1005. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



235 



not one of them whom we would wish 

 to see in your place. We fully appre- 

 ciate the sacrifice that you have made to 

 attend our meetings regularly, and the 

 ability which you have displayed in pre- 

 siding over thoin. As a small token ol' 

 our esteem we wish you to accept this 

 bouquet of floral goms (iianding iiim a 

 bunch of fancy carnations) in which we 

 have been careful to place a few blos- 

 soms of Prosperity. 



President Neville was unable to find 

 words with wliich to respond. 



SAMUEL HENSHAW. 



The last of thirteen, three score years 

 and ten, and good for many years to 

 come, Samuel Henshaw is a well pre- 

 served and interesting personality. At a 

 notable dinner not a score of years ago 

 thirteen of tlie leading lights of the 

 horticulture of that day sat down. They 

 were all men who left their impress on 

 the trade and indeed on all time. Peter 

 Henderson was one, founder of the busi- 

 ness which bears his name. Another was 

 John Henderson, his brother, of Flush- 

 ing, L. I. ; James Taplin, whose brother 

 at Detroit is one of the oldest florists; 

 James Murkland, Avith Wm. Elliott for 

 many years, and Wm. Elliott himself, 

 the head of the Dey street seed house 

 now continued on Fulton street by his 

 sons; Wm. Davidson, with Peter Hender- 

 son, who assisted in the completion of 

 the Dictionary of Gardening; Wm. Ben- 

 nett, of Flatbush; Thos. Tate, of Staten 

 Island; Water Reid, the wholesale flor- 

 ist; Isaac Buchanan, the first of the 

 Astoria growers; Wm. Wilson, of As- 

 toria, and W. S, Cottam, the landscape 

 architect, of Yonkers; these were present 

 with Mr. Henshaw that night and all are 

 gone save "the youngest man of his 

 generation," whose temperate living and 

 sunny nature have caused him to grow 

 youthful in spirit while he is growing 

 old in years. 



Samuel Henshaw. 



Samuel Henshaw was born at .\Ian- 

 •ehester, England, nearly eighty years ago 

 and Icarneil liis gardening under his 

 father, one of the tlidrnugh j.laiitsmen 

 of that day. He c'mio to America in 

 isns witli a lipo <'xperieiiee, taking 

 <:harge of the (Ireen estate on Staten 

 Island, whcro li«^ remained for twenty- 

 one years, hi 1s;»() he iiegan his work as 

 a landscape gar(UMier, spending five years 

 in the il.'Vrl,.i, merit of tlie New York 



.^4 



Wreath of Boxwood Sprays. 



Botanical Garden. He laid out tiio 

 grounds of the new Columbia rniversity 

 and in doing so safely moved two Eng- 

 lish yews over 100 years old, with balls 

 of earth each weighing fifty-five tons. 

 These now occupy tlie court of honor in 

 front of liOw Library. Mr. Henshaw laid 

 out many of the fine estates near New 

 York and some in other sections, and is 

 now retired, living on Staten Island close 

 to the scene of his early laliors and in 

 the enjoyment of a green old age with 

 the conveniences of a well earned com- 

 petence. He is in tnncli with e\ tTyfhini,^ 

 horticultural, a constant attendnnt at tlie 

 meetings and exhibitions of the Amcrj 

 can Institute, and ;i great ti;iveler, only 

 recently having visited luirojie ;in.l tlie 

 West Indies. J. Alstix Shaw. 



BOXWOOD WREATHS. 



Boxwood has cduie into fjunr with 

 many of the lejiding letiiil florists and 

 is used in large quantities by sohic wImi 

 have rejuitations for turning out wnik 

 of the very highest eli:iracter. It is used 

 for all sorts of piir|i<ises ; its d;tik green 

 rich foliage coinliines nicely with nlninst 

 any flower, and it is used fdi- tilllnnr 

 in baskets and boxi's of tinwcrs as well 

 as in making u|) design^. A handing 

 Ciiic.'igo retailer sends nut ninny wreaths 

 made entirely of lidxudnd, uiili a lililxm, 

 and others in which tbiwers arc used. 

 principally at the point of .attaching a 

 ribbon. 



The accompanying illustration is a 

 wreath made by a Pittsburg retailer. lie 

 used in it three pounds of b.ixwond 



sprays at l.j cents per pound. It took 

 thirty minutes' time, for which he 

 cii.irged .jO cents; two yards of riblion 

 at •_'.") cents per yaro, an IS-indi wire 

 frame costing 'JO cents, and 2'> cents' 

 worth of tin foil, moss and twine. The 

 wreath then stood him $1.90 and he sold 

 it for .>fs. A decoration nf flowers with 

 the ribbon would add much to its ap- 

 jtearaiice and would increase the cost 

 accordingly. 



Boxwood sprays h:i\e become a \ery 

 popular decorative evergreen for Christ- 

 ni.as and its use for work, such as 

 wreaths for I'eiiietery purposes, is be- 

 ing rajiidly extended. It is very endur- 

 ing ;inil stands the atniospherie condi- 

 tions and exposure outdoors longer than 

 aiiv other yreen. It is used largely with 

 iniinoitelles in balls, wreaths .and garlands 

 i'nr home and ball room decciations. 

 ('omliined with statice, boxwood is espe- 

 cially etVectiv(>, and the ingenuity of any 

 practical lut tlower wurker will suggest 

 many other condiinations which will 

 make boxwood a source of profit. 



Till' li.ixwdod spr.ays come t'rom \'ir- 

 ginia and are usiiallv shi[,[„'(| in barrels 

 or linxrs. The eastern traile was the 

 liist to hamlle tlieni. at IS cents per 

 pound, whii-h left ordy a t'air margin <d" 

 prolit, but when le.ading western retail- 

 ers w;int"d supplii's the eastern w]iol>'- 

 salers tlinuelit tli.at any money t.aken out 

 ot' ihe Western communities w.as pure 

 lo-.itil .and they made the price 1.' i-eiits 

 p<'f pound on L;o'id-sj/c oi-ilers. This 

 Las est;iblishe(| the late which now pre- 

 '.ails in I *it tslni il:. < hi<ago and other 



west"! II centers. || |r;i\es tliC wholesaler 



not inueli for his troiiMe. 



