This famous seedsman died at his home in Flushing, Long Island, New York, on the 28th of August, in his 74th year.

He may be said to be one of the great fathers of the modern seed trade. Possibly the Shaker community was earlier in starting the method of selling garden seeds on commission in country stores, but if so, the Shakers must have been soon followed by Garretson, who established these agencies all over the land.

Willliam and Grant Thorburn kept stores together; William in the grocery, and Grant seeds. Garretson was employed in the grocery with William, but fancying the seeds better, went over to Grant. He was born at Blackwell's Mills, Somerset Co., New Jersey. Subsequently he became foreman in the establishment of W. R. Prince till 1836, when he commenced to grow seeds on his own account. His wife was a Miss Bloodgood, a niece, we believe, of James Bloodgood, the nurseryman who introduced the famous Bloodgood Pear. Only last year they celebrated their golden wedding.

Of a rather modest disposition, he continued to the last opposed to showy advertising bills and picture cuts on his seed bags. The result was that the competition of Rochester, Detroit and Philadelphia became so severe that he had to withdraw from the commission seed business he had inaugurated and finally gave it up altogether for the business of a market gardener. While in the seed business he paid especial attention to the improvement of the cabbage, and the writer of this notice well remembers when Garretson's Flat Dutch was deemed all that any good gardener needed. This variety had an enormous run, especially in the Southern States. When he gave up seeds and took to vegetable growing the cabbage was one of his staple crops, and his farm on the Jamaica Road was more like a fair ground with its hundreds of men and wagons coming and going with the crops in the cabbage season. We believe of late years Mr. G. has not taken an active interest in the labor of this work, the management being under his son Alonzo.

Mr. Garretson was not a demonstrative man, but was fond of quiet study and experimenting. If it cannot be said of him that he died leaving many thousands of dollars, there is a satisfaction in knowing that he experienced little of the disquieting vicissitudes which the terrible struggle for mere wealth so often brings, and that his life, so far as the outer world knows, was one of continuous pleasure and enjoyment.