Page:Luther S. Livingston (Parker).djvu/15

 emulate the simple life as expounded by the Concord seer. Unluckily the Florida glades concealed no motherly neighbours from whose pantry shelves pockets could be stuffed with doughnuts, and the life proved too simple. After a year of unremunerative grubbing at palmetto roots, Livingston returned to the New York bookstore.

In 1891 he was invited by a friend who had discovered his fondness for flowers, to visit the greenhouses of Pitcher & Manda at Short Hills, New Jersey. His familiarity with the technical names of the different plants and accurate information about unusual varieties attracted the attention of one of the partners, who forthwith offered him a place on their staff. He was assigned the task of compiling catalogues. In this work his aptitude for precise statement and for the clear differentiation of peculiarities found ample scope. The printed catalogues compiled by him have become classics among horticulturists. His descriptions set a standard which rival establishments were unable to attain, and they have been copied extensively by other firms, who thereby contributed to the spread of his unrecognized influence upon American gardening.