author
J. Horace (John Horace) McFarland
1859–1948
A printer, writer, and tireless civic reformer, he helped turn gardening and city beautification into a larger movement for public health, parks, and conservation. His work linked the love of roses and landscapes with practical efforts to improve everyday American life.
1 Audiobook
Getting Acquainted with the Trees
by J. Horace (John Horace) McFarland
About the author
Born in Pennsylvania in 1859, J. Horace McFarland built his early career in printing and publishing, becoming well known for the quality of his work and for his writing on gardening and horticulture. He was especially admired as a rosarian, and his name became closely associated with the popular garden culture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
McFarland is remembered just as much for public service as for publishing. Based in Harrisburg, he became a leading voice in civic improvement and the City Beautiful movement, arguing that cleaner, greener, better planned communities could improve daily life. He also played an important part in early conservation efforts, including campaigns connected to parks and the protection of natural scenery.
By the time of his death in 1948, McFarland had left a wide mark on American horticulture, urban reform, and conservation. He stands out as one of those energetic public figures who moved easily between books, gardens, and practical activism, using each to shape the world around him.