FLORIDA »STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
207 
with the state and climate. Here he rec¬ 
ognized the wonderful possibilities of 
Florida, and before the following winter 
he had made plans for a permanent home 
here. The situation, as he knew, called 
for pioneers of the right type, and how 
well both himself and his estimable wife 
were gratified is best told by results 
achieved. All along his active career he 
had encountered storms which only the 
bravest hearts could weather, but none 
was more severe than that which he met 
in the great freeze of 1894-5, when it 
seemed everything had been swept away. 
Undismayed, though with limited resour¬ 
ces, he set about to right his ship. Amid 
every phase of discouragement, as well as 
on the crest of the wave of prosperity, he 
was never known to turn a deaf ear to an 
appeal for assistance from a worthy 
source, or to shirk a responsibility. 
Dr. Inman was the founder and Presi¬ 
dent of the Florida Citrus Exchange, and 
was the owner of the fine property of 
Florence Villa, including one of the fin¬ 
est orange groves in the state. He was a 
leader in promoting the citrus industry of 
Florida and was keenly alive to the wel¬ 
fare of its interests. His death has been 
a severe blow to this Society and is deep¬ 
ly deplored by its members. He leaves 
a bereaved wife and brother to mourn 
him, and his personal friends offer their 
condolences to them in their bereavement. 
On Saturday evening preceding his death 
he seemed in excellent health, talking 
pleasantly with relatives, and retired 
about 11 130 o’clock. He awoke about 2 
o’clock and found that the right side of 
his body was paralyzed. A physician was 
summoned at once, but by sunrise Dr. 
Inman had passed away. 
One of the pathetic incidents surround¬ 
ing his death is that he had invited a num¬ 
ber of his personal friends to spend Sun¬ 
day with him, anticipating a most enjoy¬ 
able day. Near noon Sunday his Tampa 
friends arrived and were astounded to 
learn their host had already passed away. 
Mr. W. C. Temple, General Manager for 
the Florida Citrus Exchange arranged for 
a special train from Tampa to carry Dr. 
Inman’s many friends to Winter Haven 
to assist at the interment. 
Dr. Inman has gone, and there is a va¬ 
cancy in our ranks. His life was ex¬ 
emplary, resourceful, fruitful, encourag¬ 
ing. Let us take heart and complete his 
work. 
BENJAMIN F. CHILTON. 
Benjamin F. Chilton was born at Hax- 
ham, near Exeter, Devonshire, England, 
May 18, 1848, and died at his home in 
New Smyrna, Florida, Tuesday, August 
16, 1910. He came to America in 1873 
and lived two years at Indianapolis, Ind., 
came to Florida in 1875 and the following 
year located at New Smyrna, where he 
resided to the time of his death. He 
married Miss Mary E. Tucker, Feb. 3, 
1880. 
Mr. Chilton had been manager of the 
Ronnoc Grove Estate, owned by Mr. 
Washington E. Connor, of New \ork. 
