THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
127 
S. D. WILLARD. 
One of the best known nurserymen and horticulturists 
in the country is S. D. Willard, of Geneva, N. Y. He 
was born and brought up on a farm on the banks of 
Cayuga Lake in this state, where fruit growing has ever 
been regarded as an important interest, and with such 
surroundings a taste for horticulture was developed at an 
early age, which in more mature years led him to engage 
in the nursery business at Geneva, and with it the grow¬ 
ing of fruit for commercial purposes. 
The success with which the plum was being grown, 
twenty-five years since in the country adjacent to the 
Hudson River attracted the attention of Mr. Willard, 
and induced him to make this a leading feature in his 
orchard work, being confident that climate and soil 
favored the growing of the fruit at Geneva ; nor was he 
mistaken in this. The annual shipments of this fruit 
now at this point exceed that of any one point in the 
state. 
Mr. Willard has imported many new varieties for the 
purpose of testing their value as orchard sorts, and he is 
now fruiting about fifty varieties, many of which he finds 
of no practical value to the orchardist, but the experi¬ 
ence thus obtained he regards of great value to him in 
the work in which he is engaged. 
He believes the nurseryman should also be the grower 
of fruits, and that the commercial orchardist should not 
pin his faith too strongly upon the production of any one 
of the many fruits that can be grown so successfully in 
Western New York. Hence he grows more or less of 
cherries, quinces, peaches and pears, as well as some 
of the smaller fruits ; indeed he says anything that can 
be grown with profit. He was the first to plant the 
Kieffer pear as an orchard tree in New York state, and 
has ever been a strong advocate in favor of this variety 
as a profitable orchard fruit. His faith is shown by his 
works, as he continues to plant largely of the variety, 
and has recently shipped a car load of the fruit to Chi¬ 
cago to parties who have been handling it there for him 
for several years. He is a believer in thorough light 
drainage and regards it unwise for any one to plant 
orchards on land which is not naturally or artificially 
well drained. 
As he is now approaching sixty years of age, with no 
boys to take up his work, he feels that he must contract 
his efforts for the future, but declares that were he thirty 
years younger his future planting would be measured 
only by his means, and that if possible, he would be the 
owner of the largest fruit orchards in America, so great 
is his confidence in the future of this industry. 
Mr. Willard is no theorist, but thoroughly practical 
and knows well the nature and habits of every tree of 
which he is the owner. For years he has been one of 
the most active members of the Western New York 
S. 1). WILLARD. 
Horticultural Society, of which he is vice-president. 
He is a member of the executive board of the State 
Agricultural Society, the horticultural department of 
which, under his management, has grown to be the finest 
in its exhibit of any state in the Union. 
ANEMONE JAPONICA ALBA FLORA PLENO. 
{Hoiiorine Jobcrt.) 
The frontispiece of this issue presents a plant of the 
above named variety which originated on the grounds of 
George Moulson & Son, “ The Union Nurseries,” in this 
city in the spring of 1888. It bloomed for the first time in 
1889. It is a cross of the dwarf semi-double pink flower¬ 
ing Anemone and the standard single white Anemone. It 
is a double-flowering variety of great beauty. It has the 
very free blooming characteristic of the pink with the tall- 
growing habit and large, hea\y, dense foliage of the single 
white variety. It is much hardier than either of its parents. 
A bed 6 feet wide and 30 feet long situated in an exposed 
place was not covered during the past two winters, yet not a 
plant was lost, and the plants are as vigorous and full of 
bloom this fall as those covered during the pa.st winters. 
The plants grow quite evenly in height from 2 to 2^ feet, 
and the flowers measure trom 234 to 3 inches in diameter. 
Plants will be sold next spring for the first time. The buds 
of the new variety are similar to the pink Anemone. 
