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Rh Mr. O'Connor has left a large estate, consisting of apartment houses, green-houses, and other investments. He was one of the pioneer florists of Providence, and by dint of hard work amassed a fortune. His two sons are conducting the business now. William, with whom I am well acquainted, and who takes care of the greenhouse end of it, is a young man who gives every promise of following in the footsteps of his notable father. The best in any line in connection with his business is, to put it in his own words, "none too good." As an employer of labor, he has the idea of the progressive modern man. Realizing that a well satisfied man will work for the best interests of his employer, he is ever ready to recognize merit, and to reward it. The men who were in the employ of his father for a number of years have been retained, and show to the son the same devotion that they did to the father.

The O'Connor store is one of the largest in New England, and is ably conducted by another son.

The late Farquhar Macrae was a man of a different type from Mr. O'Connor. He was a quiet Scotchman, with little time for jesting, and possessed of an intense earnestness. The business which he had started a number of years before I met him developed into one of the largest in that section of the country. He was a great grower. There was no plant that he could not successfully handle. So unerring was his knowledge of the needs of plants that he seemed almost to be in secret communication with them. I often wondered if he might perhaps not be more or less silent with men because he was accustomed to converse with flowers, among which his whole life was spent, and in which all his interest centered. For a time Mr. Macrae specialized in Chrysanthemums, and everything that was ever introduced found a place in his greenhouses, at least temporarily. If he found a thing to be worthless, he discarded it; but that did not deter him from trying other varieties. He believed that the only way to strike a good thing is to take your chances; and if he succeeded in retaining one or two, out of a dozen, it meant effort and money well spent. Later on he took up the growing of Roses, and with these, too, he was eminently successful. Bulbous stock came next, and his business began to expand in proportion to the general development of the trade.

Mr. Macrae died fifteen years ago, leaving his business to his two sons, Walter and Al. It would be hard to point out two young men more capable, more alert and energetic, than these two. Seeing their opportunity for growing Lilies on a large scale, they made the venture a few years ago, and by degrees increased their capacity and output until today we see them among the largest Lily growers in this country. Nor have they neglected their other stock, such as Roses, Carnations, and Chrysanthemums.

John A. Macrae, whose place is but a short distance from that of his nephews, Farquhar Macrae's sons, is another old friend of mine. I have spent many a pleasant hour at his home, in company with him and his wife, who died about a year ago. Mrs. Macrae was a woman of unusual type. She had a splendid mind, and much force of character. They say that it is impossible for women to be impersonal in their outlook, but Mrs. Macrae was a triumphant refutation of any such idea. She had something of the tendencies of the philosopher, and her conversation held all the charm of a profound understanding of human affairs. Her untimely death was a great loss, not only to her husband, but to her many friends and acquaintances.

Like his brother, Mr. John Macrae is a very successful grower, and his output at all times finds a ready market with discriminating buyers.