236 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
Flagler, viewed either as a man or by his 
work, has ever been identified with Flor¬ 
ida. His face conveyed the impression of 
unconquerable will, determination and 
perseverance. 
The commanding forehead, the strong, 
straight, symmetrical nose, the square 
and massive, but finely molded jaw, were 
combined in a countenance that done in 
marble would make a fit companion piece 
for Canova’s bust of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
Born in Canandaigua, New York, in 
1830, the son of a minister, he left home 
at the age of fourteen to cease being a 
burden to the family and made his way 
in the world by himself, beginning work 
in a grocery store at a salary of five dol¬ 
lars a month. 
As years went by he made and lost 
money till in 1867 at the age of thirty- 
seven years he became identified with the 
men who later formed the Standard Oil 
Company. 
Mr. Flagler abominated waste and his 
development of the waste products of oil 
distilling added largely to the success of 
the oil industry. 
Flaving made a fortune in Standard 
Oil in 1884 at the age of 'fifty-four years, 
he first came to Florida and finally de¬ 
cided that instead of devoting himself to 
financial business and becoming one of 
the richest men in the world, he would 
develop the East Coast of Florida. 
Mr. Flagler is said to have spent $50,- 
000,000 in Florida and on the East Coast 
he undoubtedly made it possible to grow 
more than two blades of grass where only 
one had grown before and ended with the 
oversea railroad to Key West a monu¬ 
ment that will vie with the pyramids of 
Egypt and the triumphal arches of the 
Roman Emperors to perpetuate his mem¬ 
ory. Mr. Flagler’s artistic temperament 
was shown in the beautiful architecture of 
many of his hotels and the exotic plants 
and shrubbery with which when possible 
they are surrounded. 
His direct interest in Florida Horticul¬ 
ture and agriculture was shown all along 
the East Coast. In the early days of 
Hastings, he had a demonstration farm 
on which a variety of crops were grown, 
even cucumbers under glass, and these 
experiments added largely to v the devel¬ 
opment of Hastings. From his eighty- 
acre grapefruit grove at Kendall, Dade 
County, 25,000 boxes were gathered this 
year. 
It was after the 1895 freeze that find¬ 
ing practically no damage at Miami and 
good citrus fruit growing, he decided to 
extend his railroad there and distribute 
5,000 grapefruit trees to encourage plant¬ 
ing. It is also said he offered up to 
$1,000,000 to assist growers after the 
freeze. As a constructive force we may 
never see Mr. Flagler's like in Florida 
again and he had the gratification of 
living to be eighty-three years old and 
seeing his dreams completed. The large¬ 
ness of the man is shown by the remark 
he often made that he was always con¬ 
tented but never satisfied. 
ARNOLD BENJAMIN HARRINGTON 
Mr. Harrington died in Jacksonville, 
Nov. 2nd, 1913, while on his way to his 
winter .home ?,t Winter Haven, aged 
sixty years. He had been an invalid for 
