46 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[January 20, 1912 



©bituarj). 



M. Theophile DuRAND.-We rogret to an- 

 nounce the death, on Friday, the 12th inst., of 

 Theophile Durand, Director of the Belgian State 

 Botanical Garden. Monsieur Durand has had a 

 brilliant career, but was hardly past the 

 prime of life. He was born at Saint Josse-ten- 

 Noode, near Brussels, in 1855, and entered the 

 Brussels Botanic Garden in 1880. Here his 

 talents were soon appreciated, and in 1896 he 

 was appointed keeper of the Herbarium. In 

 1902 he was made Director of the gardens, a 

 post which he occupied for 10 years. M. Durand 

 was an enthusiastic worker, and a keen 

 man of science. He achieved many distinctions 

 of various kinds, among others the Cross of 

 11 Chevalier de l'Ordre de Leopold " and " Officer 

 de l'Ordre de la Couronne. M. Durand was 

 elected in 1904 a corresponding member of 

 the Academy, and was for a number of years 

 president of the Royal Geographical Society of 

 Belgium, and general secretary of the " Societe 

 Botanique." He was a prolific writer, his works 

 having considerable horticultural interest. 

 Amongst other works, he was the author of 

 Etude* sur la flare du Congo, and a life of 

 Francois Crepin, which he wrote in col lab- na- 

 tion with MM. Schinz and Errera. He has 

 also written extensively on the Flora of Liege, 



THE LATE M. THEOPHILE DURAND. 



which he studied in an exhaustive manner. 

 He leaves a son and two daughters, his wife 

 having predeceased him by some three years. 

 The funeral, which took place on Monday, the 

 15th inst., was attended by many scientists and 

 the whole of the gardening staff at Brussel 

 Botanic Gardens. 



William Watson. — The death of Mr. 

 William Watson, founder of the business of 

 Messrs. Wm. Watson & Sons, occurred on the 

 8th inst. at Simla Lodge, Clontarf. We learn 

 from The Farmers' Gazette that Mr. Watson, 

 who was 78 years of age, was born at Douglas, 

 Lanarkshire, and settled in Ireland in 1856. As 

 an amateur he was very successful in breeding 

 tricolour and bronze-leaved Pelargoniums. He 

 was the first to cultivate Primula japonica and 

 Todea superba in large quantities. At a later 

 period Carnations became one of the leading 

 specialities of the firm. Mr. Watson was 

 hon. secretary of the Dublin Horticultural Club 

 till 1877, and the year before his retirement from 

 that office was chiefly responsible for a large and 

 most successful Rose show held in Dublin under 

 the club's auspices. '• On his retirement. Mr. 

 Watson was presented with a handsome gold 

 watch and an illuminated address. Moving to 

 Clontarf in 1881 he started the Clontarf Nur- 

 series, and was joined later in the business by 

 his sons James and John. Deceased is sur- 

 vived by five sons and five daughters. 



John Deacon. — The death of Mr. John 

 Deacon, gardener to the Right Hon. Joseph 

 Chamberlain, M.P., at Highbury, near Birming- 

 ham, occurred under painful circumstances on 

 Thursday, the 11th inst. About 9 a.m. Mr. 

 Deacon was seen by one of the under gardeners 

 near the ornamental lake at the lower portion of 

 the grounds attached to Highbury. Half an 

 hour or so later, a member of the garden staff. 

 in pa?^ ng the lake, observed the body of Mr. 



and shoulders were under 

 the boat-house. The body 

 water and artificial respira 

 tion attempted, but without success. At the in- 

 quest, held on the 12th inst., a verdict of death 

 by misadventure was returned. In expressing 

 sympathy with the widow, the foreman and 

 other members of the jury referred to Mr. 

 Deacon's kindly, unostentatious manner, 

 sustained to local horticultural societies 



Deacon, whose head 

 the landing stage of 

 was taken out of the 



the loss 

 and in- 

 he was 



stitutions, a i the estimation in w T hich 

 held in and around Birmingham. Mr. Deacon, 

 who was born at Milton Abbott, Tavistock, 

 Devonshire, 54 years ago, commenced his garden- 

 ing career in 1874 in the gardens of the Duke of 

 Bedford, at Endsleigh, Tavistock, under the late 

 Mr. Cornelius. In 1878 he went to Mr. Pole 

 Carew's estate at Anthony, near Devonport, 

 where he remained until 1880, when he 

 entered the Royal Gardens, Kew, which he 

 left the following year to become foreman at 

 Leigham Court, Streatham. His next position 

 was as foreman at Dover House Gardens, Roe- 

 hampton, 1883-85. ^ From 1885 until 1888 Mr. 

 Deacon gained additional experience in the estab- 

 lishments of Messrs. Wills and Segar, South 

 Kensington, and Messrs. B. S. Williams & 

 Son. Upper Holloway. Three years after he 

 was appointed head gardener at Bowden Hill, 

 Calne, Wiltshire, leaving there in 1893 to take 

 charge of the Highbury garden, a position he 

 held with the entire confidence of his garden- 

 loving employer for upwards of 18 years. Of 

 the many alterations and improvements initiated 

 by Mr. Chamberlain and carried to a successful 

 issue by Mr. Deacon, special reference should be 

 made to the Dutch garden, Italian garden, Old 

 English garden, the remodelling of the shrub- 

 bery borders and extensive planting operations. 

 A descriptive account of the Highbury gardens 

 appeared in the issues of the Gardeners 1 

 Chronicle November 26, 1904, and Decem- 

 ber 2, 1904. The funeral took place at Brand- 

 wood End Cemetery, King's Heath, on the 15th 

 inst., and was attended by the widow and rela- 

 tives, and by Mr. Neville Chamberlain and a 

 large number of friend 



s. 



Mrs. Uzzell. — Mrs. Uzzell, widow of the late 

 Mr. George Uzzell, nurseryman, Hampton, died 

 on the 10th inst. at the age of 91 years 9 months. 

 Mr. Uzzell was gardener to the late Dowager 

 Duchess of Northumberland, and was a pioneer 

 in the flower-growing industry at Hampton, com- 

 mencing in business about 46 years ago. Mrs. 

 Uzzell carried on the business after his death, 

 and she was probably the oldest lady gardener 

 in England. She took an active interest in the 

 business up to the last, and was busy preparing 

 and inserting cuttings within 10 days of her 

 death. Her grandson, Mr. George Uzzell, jun., 

 is gardener to Lord Rendel, Chateau de Thorenc, 

 Cannes, France. 



William Carlton. — We regret to announce 

 the death of Mr. William Carlton, of 30, Haw- 

 thorn Road, Hillsborough, at the age of 71. 

 For 25 years he held the office of collector to 

 the Sheffield Chrysanthemum Society, and for 

 a number of years served the now defunct Shef 

 field Floral Society in a similar capacity. At 

 one time he was a successful grower of Roses 

 and Pansies, and was closely identified with 

 many horticultural shows in the district. Many 

 years ago he carried on the business of a 

 draper. The funeral took place at Eastrington, 

 near Selby, on Friday, the 5th inst., the 

 mourners including the treasurer and secretary 

 of the Sheffield Chrysanthemum Society. 



C. Denning. — Mr. C. Denning, of the Laurel 

 Nursery, New Eltham, and younger brother of 

 the late Mr. W. Denning, of Hampton, died sud- 

 denly on the 13th inst. Mr. Denning w r as pre- 

 viously for some years gardener at Ash Grove, 

 Sevenoaks, which place he left some five years 

 a 20. 



George Birch. — Mr. George Birch died on 

 the 27th ult., at Northampton, where he had 

 lived retired for the past 20 years. Mr. Birch 

 was a capable gardener, and excelled as a fruit- 

 rower. He was for a period of 30 years gardener 

 t Hatherop Castle. Gloucestershire, being 10 

 years in the service of the late Sir Thomas Baz- 

 ley, Bart., and 20 years with the present Sir 

 Thomas S. Bazley. Deceased's only son, Henry 

 Birch, died a few years since, whilst head gar- 

 dener at Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire. 



Henry Brooker. — Mr. Henry Brookcr, 

 gardener at Gate House, East Hoathly. died on 

 2nd inst., following an accident. 



DEBATING SOCIETIES. 



READING GARDENERS'.— The annual meeting of 

 the members of this association was held on the 8th inst.; 

 the president, Mr. F. B. Parhtt, occupied the chair. The 

 hon. secretary submitted the report. The financial statement 

 showed that theie was a balance in hand of £'50 lis. The 

 receipts amounted to £92 16s. lid., and the expenditure was 

 £\-l 5s lid. The president stated that the report would 

 compare very favourably with that of any previous year. 

 The report and balance sheet were adopted. Mr. Parfitt 

 was re-elected president and Mr. Leonard Sutton vice- 

 president, whilst Messrs. A. C. Bartholomew and M. J. Sut- 

 ton were re-appointed trustees. The new chairman is Mr, 





THE LATE JOHN DEACON. 



F. G. Drew and the vice-chairman Mr. E. Blackwell. 

 The secretary and treasurer were re-elected. The following 

 grants were made :— Royal Gardeners* Orphan Fund, £3 3s. ; 

 r.ardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, £2 2s.; Royal 

 Berkshire Hospital, £1 Is. ; and University College, 

 Reading, £3. 



BRITISH GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION (London 

 Branch.)— At the meeting of the London Branch of the 

 British Gardeners' Association, held on the 11th inst., Mr. E. 

 P. Cooper read a paper on "The Cultivation of Chrysan- 

 themums. " The paper gave rise to an interesting dis- 

 cussion. 



GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. 



Mr. W. Stevens, for the past 7£ years Gardener to 

 E. Stacey, Esq., Audley House, New Barnet. and 

 formerly at Cowdray Park and Wykehurst Park Gardens, 

 as Gardener to Col. Barham, Hole Park, Rolvenden, 

 Kent. 



Mr. G. Humphrey, as Gardener to H. Phillips, Esq.» 

 Royston, Hertfordshire. 



Mr. J. Watson, Junr., for the past 4J years Gardener to 

 H. Compton, Esq., Eastcott, Kingston Hill, Surrey, as 

 Gardener to H. Marx, Esq., at same place. (Thanks for 

 donation to the R.G.O.F. box.— Eds.) 



Mr. Chas. J. Pople, for the past 3 years General Foreman 

 at Breckenbrough Hall, and previously Foreman at 

 Thorp Perrow and at Eshton Hall, as Gardener to G. B. 

 Jackson, Esq., The White House, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. 



Mr. F. J. Reed, for the past 2 years Gardener to J. Colman, 

 Esq., J.P., Wick Hall, Hove, Sussex, as Gardener to 

 W. S. Page, Esq., Oaklands, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex. 



