And I quote from Garden-Making: Suggestions for the Utilization of Home Grounds by Liberty Hyde Bailey (1898),
“Persons who follow the entertaining writings of Mr. A. B. Tarryer (a pseudonym for a well-known experimenter) in “American Garden,” a few years back, will recall the great variety of implements which he advised for the purpose of extirpating his hereditary foes, the weeds.”
That’s all it took to send me down yet another rabbit hole in search of the real identity for this A. B. Tarryer, the pseudonym for a well-known experimenter.
Along the way, I found American Gardening, Vol 11, with a series of “Tarrytown Letters”, written by the mysterious A. B. Tarryer. Volume 11, published in 1890, contains the Tarrytown Letters numbered III through XIII. I presume that the Tarrytown Letters numbered I and II are in American Gardening Vol 10, which I can not find anywhere online.
I glanced through most of the letters that were online, but found no obvious clues as to the identity of the mysterious A. B. Tarryer.
I took a side trip through the history of the village of Tarrytown, which is a real town on the Hudson River in New York, population currently around 11,000. I found out that Mark Twain briefly lived in Tarrytown around 1902, but I suspect he is not the mystery writer because he didn’t live there for very long, and his brief stay was well after the letters were written.
For awhile, I focused my search for A. B. Tarryer on General Howard Carroll and later on Captain William Casey, who both built large mansions in Tarrytown in the 1880’s. But I could find nothing substantial to connect them to the letters. In fact I admit I may well be off base even thinking that the letters have anything to do with the village.
Why this search? Because when one has a “great variety of implements which he advised for the purpose of extirpating his hereditary foes, the weeds”, it can only mean one thing…
Hoes.
It’s a bit much to get into, but suffice it to say that on the pages of American Gardening, Vol 11, I found this interesting drawing.
Apparently, it was actually Mrs. Tarryer who had a penchant for hoes and other implements used for extirpating our hereditary foes, the weeds.
Somewhere between here and there, I also read a reference in a Tarrytown Letter to someone named Loudon. Was this the real identity of the elusive A. B. Tarryer?
A quick search for Loudon lead me to The Horticulturist’s Rule-Book: A Compendium of Useful Information for Fruit-Growers, Truck-Gardeners, Florists and Others by L. H. Bailey (1889, Garden Publishing Co, New York).
See there ARE rules for horticulturists (fruit-growers, truck-gardeners, florists and others)!
In fact, an entire chapter of this book is devoted to Loudon’s Rules of Horticulture.
We should take particular note of Loudon’s Rule No. 7,
“Never pass a weed or an insect without pulling it up or taking it off unless time forbid.”
Keep that in mind this spring as you pass by weeds. Remember to stop and extirpate our hereditary foes, the weeds, fellow gardeners, unless time forbid.
Remember and be ready to recite Loudon’s Rule No. 7.
Oh, and if you know who A. B. Tarryer really was, please let me know.
Thank you.
I love that drawing. It seems unfair that although it was Mrs. Tarryer who was fond of hoes, her husband gets the credit (unless, of course, "Mr. Tarryer" was her pseudonym). I must take exception to part of Rule 7 – the part about removing insects. Not all insects are harmful, many are beneficial. In a perfect world, I would pull every weed I see, but that's just not gonna happen.
Will we eventually get to hear the rest of Mr. Loudon's rules?
It took the magnifying glass, but the caption says it is one of Mrs. Tarryton's girls using the hoe. That is a grown up looking girl, could it mean she is a servant of some sort, or daughter. Why is it not one of Mr. T's girls? More questions! I am with MMD, only a few insects would be picked off, but I do try and get the worst weeds. But the definition of weed keeps changing here. 🙂
Frances
ps, good luck on your searches!
If I followed that rule I wouldn't be able to stroll through my garden. I can see how you kept busy this winter. Chasing down rabbit holes. You have found some interesting information.
Another hole in which to fall. You're just going nuts until you can plant things. That's it. I know the malady well.~~Dee
I am enjoying the distractions down your rabbit holes since I too cannot plkant a thing especially with more snow on the way….love the hoes…
I love your style and humor.
Personally I have not one single weed in my garden. I do have a lot of plants growing where I wish they weren't though.
Are you related to Mrs. Tarryer maybe?? I'm sure you feel a kindred spirit to say the least.
I can't pass up a weed at a restaurant or a shop when I go by, let alone in my own yard — well, sometimes in my own yard.
Hilarious–and informative! Now, to commit rule 7 to memory (and, also try to commit to memory exactly what my "real" plants look like as they try to come up vs. the weeds, so as not to extirpate the non-hereditary foes!)