2l6 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



done on these two journeys, but primarily their object was the 

 introduction of new and beautiful plants to European gardens. Since 

 then Wilson has made two other journeys in the same extensive 

 field, in the interests of Harvard University, Messrs. Veitch, and 

 various subscribers. These took place in 1907-1909 and in 1910-1911, 

 and had not so wholly horticultural an object. 



Wilson's work may be briefly summarized thus : He has sent 

 home seeds or cuttings of over 1500 different plants, a very large 

 proportion of which had not been seen before in Europe, or, if they 

 had, in such small quantity as not to count. He has made some 

 65,000 sheets of herbarium specimens, comprised in some 5000 species ; 

 and among his discoveries have been found up to the present four 

 new genera and over 400 new species. It is evident, therefore, that in 

 the time at my disposal this afternoon I cannot treat my subject 

 otherwise than very cursorily. 



I think a very fair estimate of the value to gardens of Wilson's 

 new plants may be made from the records of this Society's Floral 

 Committee. Up to the present, almost exactly one hundred First- 

 class Certificates and Awards of Merit have been given to Wilson's 

 introductions. If one might judge from the opinions expressed by 

 people who put plants before it, the Floral Committee (to which 

 I am proud to belong) has two rather bad failings. It gives dis- 

 tinctions to plants which do not deserve them, and it withholds 

 them from those that do. But in relation to Wilson's introductions 

 these two peculiarities of the Committee (supposing they exist) may 

 be said to neutralize each other. If some have received unmerited 

 awards, others that deserved them have gone away undistinguished. 

 When we remember that Wilson's last journey ended in 1911, and 

 that a large number of his plants are not yet old enough to show 

 their best, the fact that already one hundred different plants have been 

 distinguished by the Floral Committee constitutes a great record. 



The introduction of Davidia involucrata in quantity was one of 

 the chief objects of Wilson's earhest journey. Seeds had already 

 been introduced to France in 1897, but from them a single plant only 

 was raised. This tree, which grows in M. Maurice de Vilmorin's 

 collection at Les Barres, and a few plants raised from it, were the 

 only examples in Europe until Wilson introduced thousands of 

 seeds in 1901. They germinated well and estabHshed the tree on 

 a sure footing in European gardens. The Davidia is said to be one 

 of the most beautiful flowering trees in the northern hemisphere ; 

 but its capabihties in this country have yet to be proved. Two 

 trees flowered at Kew last year, and it has flowered elsewhere, but it is 

 too youthful yet to show its true character. Of its hardiness and 

 capacity to thrive I have no doubt. It has two admirable quaUties j 

 for a tree to possess in our chmate : it starts into growth fairly late ! 

 and finishes early. { 



An extremely interesting introduction is Aesculus Wilsoni — a | 

 new Horse Chestnut from Hupeh, alhed to the Indian Horse Chestnut j 



