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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ROYAL PARKS, ENGLAND : 

 MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION. 



By Colonel Wheatley, C.B., R.E., Bailiff of the Royal Parks. 



[June 18, 1901.] 



In explanation of, and apology for, my appearance before you to-day 

 though not a member of the R.H.S., I may say that for more than twenty- 

 two years I have been bailiff' of the Royal Parks, and, consequently,, 

 during that period have had control, under H.M. Office of Works, of pro- 

 bably the largest and most important group of public parks in the world. 

 It has been my custom for a long while to visit at intervals as many as 

 possible of the best public and private parks and gardens in the country 

 with some of the members of our staff', and last autumn your president. 

 Sir Trevor Lawrence, was kind enough to show us over his beautiful and 

 interesting place near Dorking. Shortly afterwards he asked me to give 

 a lecture, or rather, perhaps, I should say, to read a short paper in the 

 ensuing season on the work done in the Royal Parks in and round 

 London. I pointed out that we did not profess to be scientific botanists 

 or experts as is the case with so many of the members of this Society, 

 that our business was rather to utilise the labours of others — the know- 

 ledge and experience of the great botanists— and present the results to 

 the general public in as attractive a form as possible : that ours w^as, in 

 fact, what may be described as the decorative as distinguished from the 

 scientific aspect of horticulture and arboriculture. I was assured that a 

 scientific lecture was in no way desired, and that the object was rather to 

 circulate some knowledge of our work among the large number of 

 members of the Society all over the country, who do not lay claim to the 

 distinction of botanical experts. I have obtained notes of our work from 

 Mr. Browne, Superintendent of Hyde, St. James's and Green Parks, and 

 Kensington Gardens ; from Mr. Jordan, Superintendent of Regent's Park, 

 Mr. Gardiner of Hampton Court, and Mr. Webster of Greenwich Park ; 

 to all of whom I am greatly indebted, as also to my colleague. Major 

 Hussey, who has assisted in collating the information. 



Our principal work, as you will understand, has to be carried on in 

 the smoke, fog, and dust of London, which handicaps us greatly, prevents 

 our attaining such perfection of many flowers and trees as is to be 

 witnessed in the purer air of the country, and prohibits the growth 

 altogether of many sorts. Violets, as you know, will not flower at all in 

 London, and Conifers are hopeless. We have of late years practically 

 given up attempting to grow Horse-chestnuts even, for though there are 

 splendid specimens of older trees to be seen, the air of London seems to 

 have got so much more deleterious in later years that the young trees 

 coming into leaf so early appear to be quite unable to struggle against 

 the climate. The Plane, of course, is, par excellence, the tree for smoke 

 and fog, owing not merely to its shedding its bark, but to the fact that it 

 comes into leaf so late when the climate is less trying. 



