Necrology. 
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EULOGY OF REV. LYMAN PHELPS. 
E. S. Hubbard. 
Mr. President , Ladies and Gentlemen: 
On April 26th our friend and fellow 
worker, Rev. Lyman Phelps, embarked 
on his last journey to “the undiscovered 
country, that bourn from which no 
traveler returns,” and I would render a 
tribute to his memory. The lofty brow, 
the piercing eyes, the Dantean nose, the 
grim yet tender mouth, the prognathous 
jaw, the countenance that was index to 
his character will be seen among us never 
again. The distinguished presence that 
graced our gatherings is a memory of 
the past. The subtle intellect that coun¬ 
seled and guided in our deliberations is 
a shade with the host of departed spirits, 
and the place that knew him once will 
know him no more. 
Thirty-five years ago, broken in health 
from overwork in his chosen profession, 
having buried the wife of his youth, with 
even life despaired of, he came to Florida. 
In our balmy climate he gradually gath¬ 
ered strength and courage and began mis¬ 
sionary work among the scattered settle¬ 
ments. The long drives through the wild 
forest country gave him an intimate ac¬ 
quaintance with Orange county and stim¬ 
ulated anew his interest in botany, giving 
him a knowledge of the species and habits 
of the Flora of Florida equalled by few. 
From this he became interested in the 
horticultural and business advancement 
of his surroundings. For a time he was 
postmaster at Sanford, connected with 
the bank and an encourager of all legi¬ 
timate enterprises; but what appealed to 
him most was the growing and improve¬ 
ment of citrus fruits. 
For a time superintendent of General 
Sanford’s Bellair orange grove he made 
an intimate study of the great number 
of new varieties imported by General 
Sanford and was the chief factor in se¬ 
lecting the most desirable and introduc¬ 
ing them to the public. At that time 
nearly all the oranges in Florida were 
grown on sweet seedling trees from seeds 
of the old Spanish strain of stocks and the 
groves planted by Zephaniah Kingsley. 
Mr. Parsons, the nurseryman of Flush¬ 
ing, Long Island, had made quite a list 
of importations from Rivers of England, 
including the Excelsior, also known as 
Hart’s and Valencia Late and imported 
by General Sanford as Brown, but the 
-varieties of Maltas, Jaffas, etc., were 
mainly brought to public notice by Mr. 
Phelps. 
He was the father of chemical fertiliz¬ 
ing for citrus fruits in Florida. When 
