THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
OUR PORTRAIT GALLERY. 
T. V. MUNSON. 
T. V. Munson was born September 2Gtb, 
1843. His father, Wm, Munson, was a "Green 
Mountain Boy,” anrl an early settler in Fulton 
County, Illlinois. His mother, Maria, (n6e Lin- 
ley), was a native of Kentucky. Both par¬ 
ents still live. Struggling hard with small 
means in a new country, with many ad¬ 
versities and hardships, naturally gave the 
"Sucker” boy a practical and ingenious turn 
of mind. His education in the log school- 
full English philosophical and scientific course 
in the Kentucky University in its palmiest 
days. In 1870 be graduated as Bachelor of 
Science, and was elected to a chair in the 
Sciences, Practical Chemistry and Botany be¬ 
ing two of his classes. 
In this year, he married the only dangbter 
of Mr. C. S. Bell, the leading florist and 
nurseryman of LexingtOD, Ky., with whom, 
on account of failing health in the class room, 
he engaged in the flower and nursery business 
for three years. During this time, his chair 
in the University was held open for him, 
should he regain good health, and desire to 
return to the position. In 1884, his alma 
mater conferred upon him the degree of 
Master of Science, in consideration of bis work 
ing for the organization of the Mississippi Val¬ 
ley Horticultural Society in St. Louis, in I860, 
he has constantly taken an active part in its 
proceedings, having been always called upon 
to present a paper, and act upon important 
committees. At its meeting held at Kansas 
City, he presented an address on the 1 ‘Trees 
Peculiar to Texas,” and at the meeting of the 
Society held at New Orleans last Winter, he 
presented a paper on the “Native Grapes of 
the United States,” which received a special 
vote of thanks from the Society. At this 
meeting he was also elected to the first Vice- 
Presidency of the Society. His collection of 
grape-vines growing in pots at New Orleans, 
together with dried leaves, seeds and woods, 
mounted in frames, was a scientific classiflca- 
Societies. 
CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN PO- 
MOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
(RURAL EDITORIAL REPORT.) 
Grand Rapids, Mich., Sept. 9th, 1885. 
The twentieth biennial meeting of the 
American Pomologiea! Society began its ses¬ 
sion here this morning with a very large 
attendance at the opening, there being present 
some 200 delegates. 
The show of fruits was in a separate hall 
and was very attraetive ; embracing very many 
novelties among* the newer fruits. Among 
T. V. MUNSON. Fig. 406. 
house, in the woods of his district, carried him 
as far as those institutions go, when he was 
15 years old. Life on a small farm, cultivat¬ 
ing grains, grasses, fruits and stock, and read¬ 
ing agricultural and horticultural papers and 
books, gave him early a love of Nature, aud a 
desire even to mend her. His mother, an am¬ 
bitious woman, doubtless had much to do in 
giviug him great euthusiam in this direction, 
as she was always a devoted grower of flowers 
and fruits, and originated many flue varieties 
of the latter. One season at the Fulton Coun¬ 
ty Seminary enabled him, at 18, to teach 
school. Teaching In Winter and work on the 
farm in Summer, soon enabled him to take a 
commercial course in the Bryant and Stratton 
Business College of Chicago, in 1804. Teach¬ 
ing again for a time enabled him to take a 
in scientific horticulture, with his “Forests 
and Forest Trees of Texas,” as a thesis. From 
Lexington, he moved to Lincoln, Neb., to en¬ 
gage in the market gardening and nursery 
business; but the “blizzards” aud “hoppers” 
soon drove him (in ’76) to his present home in 
Denison, Texas, where he has established a 
good nursery business, and is widely kuowu 
for his Integrity and reliability. Here much 
of his work has beeu experimental, and the 
results have been of great value to the horti¬ 
culturists of the Southwest. 
He is an active member of the American Po¬ 
mologiea! Society, and the American Forestry 
Association, for which body—by the invitation 
of its president, the late Dr. John A. Warder, 
—he prepared a paper upon the “Forests and 
Forest Trees of Texas.” From the first rneet- 
tion of all the native species of grapes of the 
United States, with most of the cultivated 
varieties aud hybrids, which, together with 
his paper, comprises one of the most complete 
and accurate studies of our native grapes 
ever made. He has also been either Secretary 
or President of the North Texas Horticultural 
Society from its organization in February, 
1879, to the present time. He is now working 
on extensive aud highly important experi¬ 
ments with seedling and hybrid grapes, and 
has already many entirely new strains of 
greut promise. 
Mr. Munson was recently tendered the Pro¬ 
fessorship of Horticulture in the Agricultural 
College of Mississippi; but his desire to carry 
out the plans and experiments already started 
induced him to decline the offer. 
the noticeable exhibits may be mentioned 
that of 145 * varieties of pears by Ellwanger 
& Barry, of Rochester, N. Y; another of 
100 varieties by the President, Hon. Marshall 
P. Wilder, and also one by the Treasurer, B. G. 
Smith, of Mass. The fruits, so far, are not 
nearly all arranged on the tables; but the 
show promises to be very large aud of fine 
quality. 
The President of the Association, Hon. 
Marshall P. Wilder, being detained at home 
by reason of his feeble health and the unpro- 
pitious weather, and the first vice-president 
P. J. Berekmans, of Ga., being absent, the 
Hon. Patrick Barry was unanimously chosen 
as president pro tern. 
Among the prominent pomologists whom we 
see here are Messrs. Barry, Ellwanger, Moody, 
