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OBITUARY. 
highly of the support they have received from naturalists, and, with every wish 
for their success, we consider it very questionable whether the work will pay its 
expenses in its new form. We have always felt a pleasure in recommending this 
periodical to our readers, and in impartially pointing out its merits and defects, 
even while told that it was a rival, and ought to be treated as such. Has the 
conduct of the Editors of the Mag. Zool. and Bot. been equally ingenuous 
towards cotemporary publications ? We regret to believe that it has not. 
OBITUARY. 
Died, at Stapleford, Herts., Dec. 28, 1887, Mr. William Griffin, aged 85. 
He was for 22 years gardener to the late Samuel Smith, Esq., of Woodhall, 
in this county ; and author of a Treatise on the Bine-apple ; also a paper 
“ On the Management of Grapes in Vineries,” published in the Horticultural 
Transactions , Vol. I., p. 98. He was a native of Leicestershire, in which county 
he commenced business ; and after filling various situations in that and the neigh¬ 
bouring counties, with the greatest credit to himself and satisfaction to his 
employers, he arrived at Woodhall, where I first became acquainted with him; 
and, by practising under his direction for some time, I found in him the real man 
of business, and one who acted the part of a father and friend to all the young 
men who, like myself, had the good fortune to receive a part of their instruction 
from him. I believe him to have been a first-rate horticulturist of his day ; and, 
up to the last day of his practice, his anxiety was as great as ever; although his 
faculties had become somewhat impaired, and consequently business was not 
carried on with the same degree of succes as formerly. He had retired to the 
village above mentioned about four years before his death, which was occasioned 
by a fall in his bed-room, which brought on inflammation, and which, in eight 
days, put a period to his sufferings. He has left an only daughter to lament his 
loss.— Correspondent of the Gardeners Magazine for February. 
On Friday last, at Scrooby, Mr. George Shepherd, aged 76 years. He was 
highly respected by his employers, having with fidelity served in the capacity of 
head gardener for nearly twenty years respectively in the families of the late 
Viscount Galway, of Serlby Hall, and the late H. T. Mellish, Esq., of Blyth 
Hall, near Bawtry .-—Doncaster Gazette , Feb. 16. 
