2l8 



Annals of Horticulture. 



1889. He was the youngest of eight children. His father, 

 who was a farmer, died when he was quite young. He con- 

 tinued at farming until 22 or 23 years of age, when feeling the 

 need of a better education than his former opportunities had 

 afforded, he attended the Amenia (N. Y.) Seminary for two 

 years, making special studies of botany and geology. At 27 

 years of age he married and bought a small farm in Ulster coun- 

 ty and began the fruit and nursery business. He planted the first 

 vineyards and peach orchards for market purposes in Ulster 

 county, and by his enthusiasm induced neighbors to do like- 

 wise; and principally through his efforts, Ulster county is now 

 the foremost fruit producing section in the east. At the 

 same time he commenced the crossing of fruits and planting 

 the seeds, with a view of improving on existing varieties, and 

 to this branch he devoted most of his energy and means for 

 the balance of his life, each year having thousands of seed- 

 ings to discard after cultivating and watching them for from 

 three to six years. From the first planting of the seed he was 

 thirty years in producing the Marlboro raspberry by crossing 

 and re-crossing the seedlings of six generations. 



The named fruits he has originated are the Walter, Mo- 

 dena, Hudson, Duchess, Lily, Ulster, Poughkeepsie, White 

 Concord, Nectar and Metternich grapes ; Cetywayo and Mam- 

 moth Bush strawberries, Marlboro and Crystal raspberries, 

 and Minnewaska blackberry, besides some eighty varieties of 

 grapes, raspberries, currants, pears, cherries, etc., which are 

 numbered, many of which give promise of much value. He 

 always selected the best of native varieties for his experiments, 

 never intermixing any foreign blood, as he believed that only 

 pure natives could withstand the diversities of our climate. 

 All of the fruits he has disseminated are the best of their class, 

 and although he did not accumulate riches, he has left some- 

 thing which will last longer, and keep him in memory of all 

 who enjoy one of nature's best gifts — good fruit. 



He was a contributor to the horticultural press for years, 

 and was a member of the American Pomological Society, and 

 all other leading horticultural societies of the country, and 

 from its foundation, of the Poughkeepsie Scientific Society, 

 now Vassar Bros. Institute. 



