The Terraces- An Introduction 
When a boy of 18, I began to do “a man’s work in the world” as a school-teacher. 
I had already begun the collection of the wild plants, bulbs and seeds of my home 
region for an eastern firm, which first realized the trade possibilities of the native 
American plants. During the next nine years, my vacations were given up to botan¬ 
izing and collecting, my trips became longer, my customers more numerous and my 
gardening experience wider. In 1888, I was able to begin giving to this work my un¬ 
divided attention. Since then my life has been devoted to the collection and culture of 
flowers. 
