From M.H. Horvath's Place in Rose History, by Dr. J. Horace McFarland, pp. 168-170:] the brilliant and able Hungarian, Mr. Horvath... came to America about 1890 as an educated forester... His genius found expression in several notable estates near Cleveland, and then in the Cleveland parks... his own home [was] at Mentor, not far from Lake Erie... he later became a trustee [of the American Rose Society]... some of the Wichuraiana varieties which had been improperly credited to W.A. Manda were rather the result of his efforts... for example, 'Evergreen Gem' and 'Universal Favorite'... His work with roses kept well away from the hybrid tea group, though his 'Mabelle Stearns' touched the life stream of the Pernetiana type as combined it into what he called a Setigera Hybrid... he named one rose for his admiring Cleveland patron, 'Mrs. F.F. Prentiss'...photograph facing p. 70: Michael Henry Horvath (1868-1945)
[From Peter Schneider on Roses, by Peter Schneider, p. 97:] Michael Horvath, in Mentor, Ohio, bred a series of climbers from the native American species Rosa setigera. Horvath used a pirate theme to name his roses, 'Captain Kidd', 'Jean Lafitte', 'Long John Silver'...
[From The Ulitmate Rose Book, by Stirling Macoboy, p. 458:] A late nineteenth-century American raiser remembered for his pioneering work with Rosa wichuraiana, even though not many of the roses themselves are still grown.
[From Climbing Roses, by Stephen Scanniello and Tania Bayard, p. 68:] the first truly successful crosses [of R. wichuraiana] were developed by Michael H. Horvath at the Newport Nursery in Rhode Island... Horvath was once described by J. Horace McFarland as "that rose wizard"... Horvath first crossed [R. wichuraiana] with a China rose and a polyantha, which resulted in four wichuraiana hybrids that were in 1898 and 1899 introduced by the Pitcher and Manda Nursery of South Orange, New Jersey as: 'Pink Roamer', 'South Orange Perfection', 'Manda's Triumph', and 'Universal Favorite'...
From American Rose Annual 1942, "Better Roses For North America" by Dr. J. A. Gamble at pp. 54-55: "M.H. Horvath, of Mentor, Ohio, was the first one to really begin the exploration of the American species for the production of roses hardy and suitable for the different sections of North America. To date his greatest success has been with R. setigera, a wild climber, although he has more recently broken through to the production of a R. blanda hybrid of promise, and is now working with the repeat bloomer, R. suffulta, in the hope that its improved hybrids will also possess the recurring bloom and hardiness of this wild species. "
[From Rose Letter, August 2013, p. 8:] y first love.” Michael H. Horvath (1868-1945) arrived in Rhode Island from Hungary around 1890. He was soon employed by the Newport Nursery where he began his rose experimentation. By about 1893 he had bred four rambling roses, becoming the world’s first hybridist to use R. wichurana. He remained an independent thinker and breeder, continuing to put out more roses. In 1897 he exhibited fourteen of his new roses at the first flower show of the American Rose Society.....When Horvath moved to Ohio, he began in the new century breeding roses with the American native species R. setigera, producing no fewer than eighteen of these hybrids. Horvath was indeed an original. His breeding vision was broader than most others of the 20th century. Not only did he shun the well-trod path of hybrid tea popularity, but also he used as many different species roses as he could acquire for his work (R. blanda, R. suffulta, etc.). Granted, the majority did not afford him the success of R. wichurana and R. setigera. On his ramblers he wanted larger blooms and recurrent blooms; he wanted hardier plants and better rootstocks. Using a wild rose of each region of the country for those regions of the country, he believed, would achieve his goals. In the end, he produced at least 27 new varieties.
