The Violet Craze in Dutchess County Herb Saltford
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his memoir is not intended as a complete instruction guide, but rather as a story of people and places in Dutchess County where, as in fabled Camelot, commercial violet culture had its own brief shining moment of the past 100 years. "William G. Saltford, Englishman, is a florist and son of a florist. He was trained to be a head gardener, in the regular English custom. He came to America in 1872 (where he became a naturalized citizen), securing a place with William Kelly at Rhinebeck on the Hudson (later) the county seat of Levi P. Morton (VicePresident of the United States under Benjamin Harrison). Thereafter he found situations in various places (one of which) was at Poughkeepsie, with S. M. Buckingham . . . (where he became) the central figure in an interesting floral enterprise. On Long Island he had had a successful experience in growing violets under sashes. In Poughkeepsie he undertook violet growing on a larger basis. His venture was remarkably successful. Others adopted his methods. Soon Poughkeepsie became known as the "violet belt" and William Saltford was the 'violet king'. He was the first person in that part of the States to grow violets in regular houses. Violets were profitable." Thus declared Liberty Hyde Bailey, first Dean of Cornell University's College of Agriculture, in the April, 1905 issue of Country Life in America under the heading "How to Make a Living from the Land." By a rental/purchase agreement of several years, my grandfather Saltford was head gardener of Mr. Buckingham's eight-acre city estate, which was bounded by Washington Street, Bain Avenue, Talmadge Street, and lands of Clement C. Gaines, administrator of Eastman Business College. In the meantime, Granddad lived nearby at 61 Delafield Street where, in 1886, he introduced violet plants of English origin to Dutchess County. Eventually he added five more glass houses (each 140 feet long by 18 feet wide) to those already on his Buckingham place, as a local newspaper reported. "One of the most complete floral establishments in this part of the state has just been completed . . .Mr. Saltford is an authority on floriculture, and especially violets . . . . The first two houses are devoted to the culture of violets (with) some 3500 plants (in each)." After Grandfather and his family moved into the 26-room Buckingham residence, he made the property a summer showplace with felicitous flower beds adorned by palms and bay trees along the drives. For at least a decade then, as reported in the press, "Poughkeepsie (was) the Center of Cultivation." A report at the time explained:
Herbert Saltford, Poughkeepsie's newly appointed historian, was Superintendent of Parks from 1965 to 1971. He has a degree in agriculture from Cornell University. 13
