THE HISTORY OF THE 
BOTANICAL MAGAZINE. 
1787—1904. 
Note.—The following History was contributed by Mr. W. Botting 
Hemsley to the Gardeners’ Chronicle. Believing it would be of interest 
to subscribers of the Botanical Magazine, it is inserted here with 
some alterations and additions. 
In 1887, when the Botanical Magazine attained the hun- 
dredth year of its uninterrupted existence, the writer con- 
tributed to the Gardeners’ Chronicle a series of articles on 
its history, preceded by a brief sketch of the rise of flower- 
gardening in England, and supplemented by notes on 
contemporary kindred literature, and on persons prominent 
as botanists and horticulturists. This was followed nine 
years later by gleanings from the wrappers of the Magazine 
during the periods 1809 to 1814, and 1827 to 1855. With 
the cordial assent of the proprietors of the Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, the greater part is reproduced here, together 
with some additional facts, and the correction of errors in 
the original. | 
On the completion of the 112th volume the Botanical 
Magazine attained the hundredth year of its uninterrupted 
existence, having long outlived the numerous rivals and 
imitators which its successful career gave rise to from 
time to time. Indeed, it is doubtful whether it is not 
the only illustrated serial ever published that has enjoyed a 
century of unbroken vitality ; and its history is the history 
of flower gardening in England, in the open and under 
glass, from its infancy to the achievements of the present 
day. A hundred years is but a short period, yet during 
the past century the cultivation of tropical and subtropical 
plants for the delights they afford the eye has developed 
from a few small beginnings by wealthy amateurs and botanic 
gardens to an almost incredible extent, both as to what 
has been accomplished and the number of persons engaged 
in producing a luxury which is essentially a luxury of the 
present age. From its commencement up to the present 
time varieties of garden origin, or florists’ flowers, have, 
with a very few exceptions, been excluded from the 
