Note 205 — Chapter III · LEADING VARIETIES OF PLUMS.

Samuel D. Willard was born August 24, 1835, near Cayuga, New York. He was educated in the district school, Canandaigua Academy, and Temple Hall, Geneseo, having been graduated at the last named place in 1854. After a successful business career of a decade and a half following his schooling, Mr. Willard engaged in the nursery business in Geneva, New York. He prospered in tree-growing and soon embarked in fruit-growing as well, rapidly attaining distinction as a nurseryman and as a fruit-grower. He early began to specialize in plum culture and soon became one of the leading growers of plums, one of the chief authorities on varieties, and one of the largest importers of new sorts. In 1897, with Dr. L. H. Bailey as co-author, Mr. Willard prepared Bulletin 131, Notes upon Plums, of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. In this bulletin Mr. Willard put on record the results of his long experience in growing plums and gave descriptions of seventy varieties, nineteen of which he had imported from Europe. Besides this bulletin he has published but little on plums, but his spoken words regarding them may be found in nearly every report of the two horticultural societies of New York since 1880, as they are also to be found in the reports of horticultural societies in neighboring states and the provinces of Canada. Besides his work in horticultural societies, Mr. Willard was one of the earliest and foremost institute speakers in New York. He was, too, for many years active in the development of the state fair in New York, having charge of the horticultural department, a position which he also held at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. For nearly a half-century Mr. Willard has been prominent in his profession in the state and nation; he is known by all eastern fruit-growers and his vigorous and enthusiastic utterances in the press, from the platform and in conversation have made him a favorite authority with the fruit-growers of this generation.