EIGHT months have elapsed since the death of Peter Henderson, the 

 illustrious and beloved founder of this house. The sad tidings became known 

 all over the land the day he died, January 17th, 1890, and our irreparable loss is 

 probably already known to nearly every one with whom he sustained business 

 relations for so many years. 



When he passed away, circumstances prevented us from sending out any 

 general notice of his death, but as soon as we had recovered from the shock and be- 

 wilderment, caused by the great and unexpected calamity that befell us, our family 

 decided that, as its honored head had been in so large a sense a public man, no 

 attempt should be made to tell, in any of our business publications, the story of his 

 life. We have, therefore, in preparation a biographical sketch of the man who, in the 

 . departments of American Horticulture in which he assumed to instruct, was long 

 since universally conceded to be the pre-eminent authority of his time. This sketteh 

 or memoir of Peter Henderson only professes to outline the magnitude of his life's 

 work, and to detail a few of the many noble attributes and characteristics with which 

 he was endowed. In view of the early publication of this sketch, it only remains 

 for us to add, that it will be sent about November 1st of this year, to all of 

 Mr. Henderson's old friends and patrons. It will contain as a frontispiece wh-at 

 we consider the best portrait of him in existence. To Alfred Henderson has been 

 entrusted the preparation of the memoir, as it was believed, from his long and close 

 personal relations to his father, he understood him perhaps more thoroughly than 

 any one to whom it seemed practicable at this time to delegate the work. 

 September 10, iSgo. 



