Management of Kern Gardens, fyc. 313 



Art. XXII. Remarks on the Policy pursued in the Manage- 

 ment of the Ki?ig's Botanic Garden at Kew. By J. P. Bur- 

 nard, Esq. 



Dear Sir, 

 I observe by your " calls" that you go frequently to Kew 

 Gardens, with your remarks on which I perfectly agree ; but 

 I wonder it has never occurred to you to notice the policy of 

 Mr. Aiton, the director of these gardens, with respect to the 

 distribution of plants. Collectors of plants in general take 

 a pleasure, and feel it to be their interest, when they have 

 procured a rare plant, and propagated it, to distribute speci- 

 mens among such friends as are likely to take care of it, and 

 promote its increase in the country. I hardly know a single 

 exception to this among private individuals, and is it not dis- 

 creditable to the country that the only exception to this liber- 

 ality should be found in the garden of the King ? There the 

 system followed is that of a Dutch tulip fancier, who would 

 rather destroy than give away. How different this practice 

 from that of the directors of public gardens in general in this 

 country, and that of the national gardens of France and Ger- 

 many. I refer you to the preface of Dr. Hooker's Glasgow 

 Catalogue, and request you to call in mind the late Mr. Donn 

 of Cambridge, and the practice of Messrs. Loddiges. Even 

 the royal garden at Madrid, according to the interesting ac- 

 count of your learned correspondent, Professor Lagasca, not 

 only gives away seeds to all the provincial gardens of Spain, 

 but- to the principal gardens of Europe and America. Surely 

 such illiberal conduct on the part of Mr. Aiton cannot be ap- 

 proved of by the King, distinguished as he is by good taste 

 and liberality. I feel persuaded that if this matter were only 

 properly represented to His Majesty, a very different practice 

 would be pursued ; and I hope some competent person, who 

 understands the gratification that would accrue to botanists, 

 and the advantages that would result to the country, from an 

 early distribution of new and rare plants, will undertake to do 

 so. I need not state to you, or to the readers of the Gar- 

 dener's Magazine, what the advantages of distribution are. It 

 is well known among botanists and gardeners that a consider- 

 able number of rare plants introduced at Kew many years 

 ago, and published in the Hortus Kewensis, are now lost 

 there, and known only by their names in that learned work. 

 Had they been distributed among private collectors and the 

 nurserymen, there can be little doubt some of them would 



