io8 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Obituary 
Our Boob Uablc 
WM. CUTTER 
At Palisade, Colo., on Dec. 30 , in the eighty-fifth year of his age. 
Mr. Cutter was bom in New Jersey and came to Colorado by way of 
Illinois and Kansas. He established a nursery business in conjunc¬ 
tion with his son, John H., planted a peach orchard and identified 
himself with fmit interests generally. He is survived by two sons 
and two daughters. 
SAMUEL C. MOON 
A TRIBUTE TO A PLANT LOVER 
A bom nurseryman, he was devoted to his profession and on his 
lawns is one of the finest collections of rare trees and shrubs to be 
found in this country, among them being the largest and finest purple 
beech in America. H i s 
great love for nature, his 
keen observation, combined 
with his close personal 
work among trees, made 
him a recognized botanical 
authority. 
He was a naturalist of 
renown, being one of the 
foremost members of the 
Delaware Valley Natural¬ 
ists Union, President of the 
Bucks County Natural 
Science Club, and Presi¬ 
dent of the Pennsylvania 
Nurserymen’s Association, 
at the annual meeting of 
which he was scheduled to 
preside the week following 
his death. 
As a member of the 
Society of Friends, he was 
prominent and held several 
offices of responsibility in 
that organization. 
Shortly before his death a business acquaintance said of him: 
“He is a man of affairs, a man among men, yet he seems more fond of 
his family, his home, and his trees than of money or fame.’’ 
FRANKLIN P. PHOENIX 
As we go to press, newspaper dispatches announce the death 
of the pioneer nurseryman of the Middle West, Franklin P. Phoe¬ 
nix, of Delevan, Wisconsin, at the age of eighty-six. He was a 
New Yorker by birth, but moved West at an early age, establish¬ 
ing a nursery business in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1855. He con¬ 
tinued here fora number of years, conducting a large business, 
but moved to Delevan in 1878. 
The booklet Just Bays issued by McHutchison & Co., of 17 
Murray St., New York, should be of most valuable service to all 
nurserymen using Bay Trees. It illustrates the different commer¬ 
cial shapes, etc., and not specifying prices is of great help and 
benefit in soliciting orders. 
This firm has made a specialty of Bay Trees for a number of 
years and by carefully studving their customers’ interests have built 
up a very large business in this line, shipping many carloads every 
season to the most reliable firms throughout the United States. 
Their representative visiting Europe every year insures personal 
attention and universal satisfaction in the filling of all orders. 
Plant Breeding. By Hugo DeVries. Published by the Open 
Court Publishing Company, Chicago. 360 pp., illst. 
Price $ 1.50 net. 
The author of the mutation theory is probably as well known in 
America as in Europe, for it was in America that a full exposition of 
his mutation theory was elaborated, during the course of a series of 
lectures given at the University of California some four years ago. 
The work under consideration includes a discussion of evolution and 
mutation, the discovery of the elementary species by Nilsson, chap¬ 
ters on corn breeding, the production of horticultural novelties by 
Luther Burbank, the association of characters in plant breeding, and 
finally a chapter on the geographical distribution of plants. 
The volume is exceedingly valuable, first, on account of the 
emphasis laid upon the appearance of new forms of plants by rising 
suddenly instead of by gradual development of parts over a long 
series of years, and second, by reason of the emphasis laid upon the 
fact of the existence of elementary species which, when isolated and 
self bred, reproduce true to their individual types. In addition to 
these important principles the general discussion of methods of 
plant breeding is most valuable. The whole subject of the improve¬ 
ment of plants is placed upon a new and eminently practical basis, 
and plantsmen, in whatever lines they may be interested, cannot 
afford to be without this book, which will be of great assistance in 
promoting and advancing the lines of work in which they are sever¬ 
ally interested. 
Ornamental Shrubs of the United States, by Austin Craig 
Apgar. Published by the American Book Company. Illustrated 
5 x 7 >2 ■ 352 pages. Price, 
We find in this volume divided into three groups of matter: 
Part I, Leaves, Flowers and Fruit; Part II, Keys to the Genera; 
Part III, Description of the Shrubs. On nearly every page there is 
at least one illustration, including generally a separate drawing of a 
leaf; for, as the author tells us, to successfully use the book, it is 
“necessary to learn what constitutes a leaf of a plant.’’ These 
illustrations, of which there are over six hundred, were made in 
nearly all cases from nature. Perhaps the chief point of interest is 
Part II, containing the keys, which are based entirely on the leaf 
form, and which are twelve in number. In Part III, practically all 
plants have been given common names; for, to quote from the 
preface, “This book is intended to be used by that large public who 
wish to know by name the attractive shrubs cultivated in parks and 
private grounds, but who are actually afraid of anything called 
botany.” 
Who’s Who Among the Ferns, by W. I. Beecroft. Published by 
Moffat, Yard and Company, New York, 1910 . Illustrated. 
4 J4X7. 208 pages. 
This little volume, of convenient pocket size, is intended for the 
untechnical lover of ferns, and follows the same plan essentially as 
“Who’s Who Among the Wild Flowers,” by Mr. Beecroft. One 
charming feature in connection with the illustrations is an occasional 
glimpse into the woodland home of a fern. To the person unversed 
in fem-lore, the book will reveal an astonishingly large number of 
varieties, yet each is pictured so accurately that there ought to be 
little trouble in identifying an unknown specimen. 
The Book of Friendship. (Macmillan, $1.25 net) with an intro¬ 
duction by Samuel McChord Crothersm and Drawings by Wlady- 
slawt Benda. 
This book contains the things which seven learned men have said 
about friendship. 
A. Mittiny says: “Our 1 , 110,000 Giant Himalaya Plants have 
been sold since October 1st, 1910 .” 
sam’l c. moon 
