Wilder
was a distinguished amateur pomologist and
floriculturist. He inherited a love of country life
and chose farm work in preference to a college
education. He finally became a prosperous Boston
merchant. He purchased a suburban home at Dorchester,
Massachusetts and developed there a pear orchard
containing at one time 800 cultivars. During his life
he tested 1200 cultivars of pears and exhibited 404 in
1873. He produced several new cultivars and introduced
the Beuree d'Anjou cultivar. He imported many fruits
and flowers into this country.
He had a Camellia collection of 300 cultivars at
one time and raised many new kinds. He also had a
notable collection of Azaleas. In fact he was the
first to import, cultivate or exhibit in this country
hardy kinds of Azalea, the Japanese lilies, and other
now well known species.
His greatest services to horticulture were
connected with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
and the American Pomological Society, the latter of
which he was one of the founders. The American
Pomological Society is still extant and established
the "Wilder Medal" which is given to pomologists who
have contributed most to evaluation and improvement of
cultivars of various kinds of fruit in this
country.
