423 



adding almost to the last, and so fully did he realise the value 

 ot such knowledge that he was constantly impressing upon young 

 men the desirability of learning at least one modem language. 

 He went even further and devoted much time to the gratuitous 

 teaching of others. 



The turning point of Nicholson's life came in 1873. By chance 

 lie saw an advertisement inviting candidates for the post of Clerk 

 to the Curator of the Royal Gardens, Kew, and he entered, with 

 little hope of success, as there was absolutely no time for special 

 preparation for the examination. There were five candidates, but 

 he M displayed such quickness, intelligence and resources, and had 

 so good an address" that he was finally successful. Although 

 at first he was engaged almost entirely during official hours 

 on clerical work, his activity out-of-doors commenced at once, 

 tor we find in the Journal of Botany, 1874, p. 127, that he 

 was engaged on a Wild -Flora of Kew Gardens, which appeared in 

 the same publication in 1875. He also continued his studies of 

 the British Flora generally, with great enthusiasm, and made a 

 very fine herbarium, which he eventually presented to the 

 University of Aberdeen. He was very keen on segregates, and 

 among others he collected a very fine series of the forms of 

 Oardamine pratensis, among them G. dentata, Schultz, and C. 

 uciyneana, Welw. In 1883 he discovered a Scutellaria at Virginia 

 Water, which was regarded as a natural hybrid between S. galeri- 

 culata and 8. minor. In this connection it may be added that he 

 jomed the Botanical Exchange Club of the British Isles in 1875, 

 and was Distributor and Reporter for the years 1883 and 1887. 



The Director of Kew had been engaged for many years on the 

 extension and nomenclature of the Arboretum before the appoint- 



some 



years elapsed before he was officially associated in this task, 

 aoout 1880 he began collecting and drying specimens of the hardy 

 wiruDs and trees, and checking their names, and in time the col- 

 , ion de sloped into a valuable herbarium for reference, sup- 

 plemented, as it was, by figures, descriptions and correspondence 

 relating to the specimens. In l8Si> the collection was purchased 

 ~J Kr Trusfcees of the Bentham Fund and presented to the 

 ff abll8hl «ent ; since when it has been continually added to by 



his 



most 



m kind. Under the heading of H The Kew Arboretum " Nicholson 



fn iSll ed a series of twent y articles in the Gardeners' Chronicle 



°r isbl, illustrated by Miss M. Smith. This series was followed 



_i auin erous papers on dendrology in various publications, 



refere 



. A n official 



most important of w 

 Le end of this memoir 



will be found in the 



? tne Kew Bulletin, 1901, p. 169. " Mr 



Arboretum 



*v«w are well known, 

 emcient o.m^u;. *■ 



Shrub 



e ^ measure IS uue me present 



.tn Thft « Handlist of Trees and 



Js^ % wa s prepared by him, and is universally accepted as a 



"lanoard authority for their nomenclature. Kew still hopes to 



«jain the benefit of his botanical experience now that he has been 



relieved from the n „^ a «* „j m i„i a tMt.i« dnti*H " 



