WALTER DAVIS. 



COLLECTOR IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

 18731876. 



WALTER DAVIS was born at Amport, a small village in the 

 county of Hampshire, and inherited from his father a taste 

 for Natural History and outdoor pursuits, which later took the 

 form of a love of gardening. 



Davis began his horticultural career in the gardens of the 

 Marchioness of Winchester at Amport House, at a time 

 when these were being remodelled. From Amport House 

 he was sent to Wilton Park Gardens, where he stayed 

 four years, ultimately becoming departmental foreman, and 

 thence he went to the gardens of C. Ryder, Esq., Slade, 

 and to those of the late T. W. Evans, Esq., at AUestree Hall, 

 Derby. 



In 1870 Davis came to Chelsea, served under John Dominy 

 in the New Plant Department, eventually becoming foreman 

 of the Nepenthes and Fine Foliage Plants. 



In 1873 an opportunity occurring to send a collector to 

 South America, Davis was selected, and he sailed on August 

 2nd 1873, with the special object to secure a quantity of 

 Masdevallia Veitchiana, introduced to this country in 1867 

 by Pearce, but still very scarce. 



In this undertaking Davis was successful, and in addition to 

 Masdevallia Veitchiana met with several other species of this 



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