Charles
Hovey was a nurseryman and seed merchant as well
as a successful journalist. He was born and lived in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Early he began to collect
and exhibit many cultivars of pear, apple, plum, and
grape. He was also interested in florist and
ornamental plants, particularly the Camellia and
Chrysanthemum. These were exhibited at the shows of
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society which Bailey
has called "the center of horticultural influence of
the country." He developed the Hovey strawberry which
first fruited in 1836 and which has been considered as
the starting point of American strawberry production.
It was the standard cultivar for many years.
He was editor of the Magazine of
Horticulture which had an uninterrupted existence
from 1835 to 1868. It was founded as the American
Gardener's Magazine but the name was changed in
1837 to Magazine of Horticulture. Its period of
activity was the longest of any American horticultural
journal. It recorded horticultural progress for over
30 years. It should be stated that it was modeled
after Loudon's Gardener's Magazine.
Hovey was the author of Fruits of America
which was issued in two volumes from 1852 to 1856.
These volumes contained more than 100 colored plates.
Its purpose was to describe the "choicest varieties
cultivated in the United States."
