June, 1890. 
117 
ORCH RRD 
GARDEN 
\ 
I'eter B, Mead. 
The subject of our illustration and sketch 
this month, well known to our readers 
through his interesting and instructive ar- 
ticles on “The Flower Garden” and “The 
Lawn,” was born in Brooklyn, L. I., when 
it was a very small village, and is a de- 
scendant of the Meads who settled at 
Horseneck (now Greenwich) at a very early 
period. He remembers distinctly three 
things connected with his childhood: first 
and always, that he had kind parents, his 
mother being a strict, but most loving and 
lovable woman, with strong religious con- 
victions, who greatly encouraged his early 
love of flowers; second, that he made his 
first serious venture in horticulture when 
he was scarcely five years old, and raised 
what he then thought a splendid crop of 
peanuts; third, that he rode from Fulton 
ferry in a carriage with Gen. Lafayette, 
and helped him to lay the corner-stone of a 
public building: that is, he held a little flag 
over his head while the general did the 
hard work. 
He was fortunate in having a learned 
uncle who was a “professor.” This uncle 
looked after the boy, and the seed then 
sown has produced good fruit. During this 
period the lad lived in New York, but lost 
none of his love for Nature. He learned, 
among other things, something of botany 
aud natural history generally, and had a 
liking for chemistry, mechanics, and men- 
tal philosophy. He afterward gave no in- 
considerable time to vegetable physiology. 
Before he had completed his studies he 
went to Harper & Brother's, the well- 
known publishers, and was their reader fir 
some seventeen years, finding much help in 
his studies. His recollections of this period 
are very pleasant; for, besides his pleasant 
relations with the Harper brothers, he was 
brought into personal contact with many 
of the best minds of the day, and formed 
many delightful friendships. He could 
furnish interesting recollections and anec- 
dotes of many of the writers of that period 
that would fill a small volume. Ten to 
twelve, and sometimes fifteen hours a day 
of the most exhausting and fretful kind of 
brain work began to tell in time, even on a 
good constitution. His memory, naturally 
very strong, became weakened and his 
hearing greatly impaired, the latter mis- 
fortune having greatly lessened his sphere 
of usefulness, unfitted him for most of the 
pleasures of social life, and made him some- 
what of a hermit. 
It is worth remarking here that he could 
not have withstood this great strain for so 
many years had it not been for his love of 
fruits and flowers. Two or three hours in 
the morning and some at night (in fact, ail 
his leisure time) were given to work among 
them; and this work, (always a pleasure,) 
together with an occasional walk of four 
or five miles, and the sail over the river, 
kept him in pretty good health. It did 
more; it made him a lover of home, v\ here 
a man should always find his chief pleas- 
ure. It was while he was with those ex- 
cellent men, the Harpers, that it became a 
part of his duties to go several times 
through the classical authors, both in the 
originals and in translations, and when he 
came to an allusion to a plant or a flower 
he made a note of the page and the line. 
In this way he made a unique and interest- 
ing collection of quotations, which he in- 
tended to make public; but the first confla- 
gration of the Harper establishment de- 
stroyed them all, which he has never ceased 
to regret. 
After leaving the Harpers he devoted 
himself for a time entirely to his fruits and 
flowers, varied with corn, potatoes, and 
what not, and soon felt strong again. Well- 
directed labors in the field are better for 
one’s health than buying drugs over a 
druggist’s counter. He next spent a couple 
of years in reading the proofs of the best 
and most universally read of all books, the 
Bible. He had before this read the proofs 
of an illustrated Bihle while with the Har- 
pers. He afterward did some reading for 
the Methodist Book Concern; but a sudden 
attack of hemorrhage while passing through 
the street, and feeling perfectly well, de- 
termined him to give up reading as a pro- 
fession, and settle down in the woods and 
fields, though he has given some time since 
to reading and preparing MSS. for the press. 
About this time he made a collection of 
all the wild and cultivated strawberries of 
this country and Europe, and spent many 
hours lying fiat on the ground, studying 
their characters. He has always had a 
passion for novelties of all kinds, and a 
new fruit or flower seldom escaped him at 
that time. It was now (1858,) that he be- 
came editor (and finally owner) of “The 
Hi rticulturist ” He had talked about and 
practiced what is called “flat culture,” and 
now gave it some prominence, as he did 
also to the “fixed roof” for greenhouses, 
and “good grapes” for every body. He be- 
gan at this time, in a quiet way, to do a 
little in the way of “ landscaping” and fur- 
nishing plans for “fixed-roofed” green- 
houses and graperies, his object being to 
show that some degree of architectural 
beauty could be indulged in without lessen- 
ing the ability of the house to grow plants 
well; that much less wood could be used, 
and the houses made lighter, stronger, and 
much more enduring. 
He helped to reorganize or resuscitate the 
old New York Horticultural Society, and 
was its secretary for a number of years. It 
was at this time that he made his famous 
trip from Philadelphia (or Tacony) with 
the Victoria regia, which was publicly 
exhibited for the first time at Tripler Hall, 
New York. Soon after selling “The Horti- 
culturist” he published a book on “Ameri- 
can Grape Culture,” an edition of two thou- 
sand copies being sold in a year’s time. 
It has long been out of print. He has been 
a member of the American Institute for up- 
ward of fifty years; was at one time its cor- 
responding secretary, for many years was a 
member of its Board of Managers, and for 
several years has been chairman of the 
Committee on Agriculture. He originated 
the idea of the American Pomological Soci- 
ety, and worked hard at it for two years 
before it took shape at the meeting in Clin- 
ton Hall, New York. Naturally, he was 
made chairman of the committee of ar- 
rangements that directed the labor that 
made it a success. This was all under the 
auspices of the American Institute, which 
paid the expenses, and is the real founder 
of the American Pomological Society. 
He began writing for the press when 
about sixteen years old, his first published 
article being a book x-eview, which appeared 
in the old “Knickerbocker Magazine,” ed- 
ited by the twin brothers Clark. He has 
been writing more or less ever since, the 
larger portion for the agricultural and hor- 
ticultural press. He is very fond of ang- 
ling, and sometimes writes about that. He 
has always had a peculiar dread of seeing 
his name in print, and, in consequence, the 
larger part of what he has written has been 
over or under a pen name or no name at all. 
His name in Orchard and Garden is an 
addendum of the editor. It may be added 
that he writes only when he thinks he can 
say something useful; except when he 
writes on angling, when he always says 
something amusing without telling lies. 
He has been a widower some twenty-five 
years, and has two daughters living, one 
being married to the Rev. E. C. Hopper and 
the other to Henry G. Coyte. He is in the 
seventies, enjoys good health, and is still 
full of life and vigor. 
American Association ol Nurserymen. 
The fifteenth annual meeting of the 
American Association of Nursery men will 
convene at the Park Avemie Hotel, New 
York City, June 4th and continue until 
the 15 th. 
Many practical men, such as Professors 
Roberts, Bailey, Budd, Fernow, Galloway, 
etc., will be present with papers on topics 
of great interest, and the attendance prom- 
ises to be large. Reduced fare has been se- 
cured on all railroads east of Chicago, and 
reduceed prices also at the hotel. For par- 
ticulars, address Chas. A. Green, Secretary, 
Rochester, N. Y. 
