460 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 20, 1897. 
The Doctor built his London home on the south side 
of the region of Belgravia. 
There was no American competition in the matter 
of hardy fruit in those days, the supply coming 
chiefly from France and Holland. The young 
reformer, after investigating the matter, resolved to 
make the subject of fruit a special study, with what 
results many of our readers are aware. He wrote 
vigorous and effective articles on the national import¬ 
ance of hardy fruit, which were voiced in the Press, 
including the Cottage Gardener. 
The Doctor had other hobbies, and early in his 
career he spent some time in the West of England 
where he gave a considerable amount of attention to 
florists’ flowers, including the show Tulip and Dahlia. 
He wrote a treatise on the latter, and was so convinced 
of the perfection of flowers of forty years ago, that 
no amount of persuasion would make him admit that 
modern Dahlias were superior to those of his early 
manhood. Size they had, but at the sacrifice of 
refinement, was his opinion. He travelled great 
distances to see Tulips in bloom with the view of 
purchasing bulbs of which he gathered together a 
splendid collection, in the enjoyment of which his 
everyday life was sweetened and brightened. He 
won his first prize for Tulips, while in the West, 
under extraordinary circumstances. Noting the 
laxity in the regulations in the schedule of a Tulip 
show, he visited collections of Tulips so far advanced 
in growth that he could see the colour of the flowers, 
and choosing the best he bought them and had them 
transferred at once to his own ground where they 
flowered, giving him blooms with which he took the 
first prize. His right was disputed, but the case was 
decided in his favour. Though virtually a man of 
peace, it was not an easy matter getting over the 
Doctor, if he was convinced that right was on his 
side. Comparatively recently his old love for the 
Tulip blossomed out again, and he got together a 
second fine collection, of which we have seen 
exhibits at some of the R.H.S. meetings. 
In 1851, as a result of assiduous devotion to his 
favourite study, he produced “ British Pomology,” 
in which 940 varieties of Apples are enumerated. 
It was translated into German, the reverse of what 
usually happens in the case of valuable books. This 
work was superseded by the ‘‘Fruit Manual,” which 
has passed through five editions. A mass of MS. 
for a sixth edition was in an advanced state at the 
time of his death. 
“The “Vegetable Kingdom and its Products,” 
appeared in 1858, containing an enumeration of 
7,000 genera, 4,000 synonyms, and representing 
about ioo.ooo species of plants. In collaboration 
with the late Mr. G. W. Johnson, he produced 
“Wild Flowers of Great Britain.” 
He was the originator of the British Pomological 
Society in 1854, whose president was the famous Sir 
Joseph Paxton. He was one of its secretaries and 
subsequently vice-president. Monthly meetings 
were held for five years, till the society was trans¬ 
formed into the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society on May 7th, 1858, 
on the initiative of Dr. Hogg. He may therefore be 
regarded as the father of the senior committee cf 
the R.H.S. This took place when the latter 
body became established at South Kensington, of 
bitter memory. The doctor vigorously opposed the 
great outlay of £50,000, incurred by the R H.S , 
but was finally won over to the cause when he took 
the initiative above mentioned, and gave his strenuous 
support to make it a success. The Floral Committee 
was established June 24th, 1859. 
His co-operation could always be secured when he 
felt convinced that the R. H. S. was pursuing a 
genuine horticultural policy, for which it was 
originally established ; but he was an unflinching 
antagonist, when alien projects loomed on the 
horizon. In conjunction with other earnest men he 
was the means of preventing the loss of the Chiswick 
Gardens to the society, as the establishment now 
exists. On the remodeling of the society in i860, 
Dr. Hogg was appointed secretary of the Fruit and 
Vegetable Committee, a post which he held for a 
few y ears, till succeeded by Major Mason. The late 
Mr. Thomas Moore, of Chelsea, was made secretary 
of the younger committee — the Floral—in i860. 
A council of South Kensingtonians gradually 
obtained power, and brought the ill-fated affairs of 
the R.H.S. to a crisis in 1875. The then president 
was compelled to resign, and a horticultural council, 
including Dr. Hogg, was elected. The chief nursery¬ 
men held a commemorative show gratuitously on the 
21st July of that year, to memorialise the event ; and 
their artistic and splendid groups gave a great 
impetus to “ groups arranged for effect ” at most 
exhibitions. 
Dr. Hogg continued on the council till his resigna¬ 
tion in 1889 ; he also remained a member of the 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee, and was thus closely 
connected with the society for a period of thirty- 
seven years. He provided the society with a magni¬ 
ficent collection of Pear trees which Mr. Barron 
trained so well in pyramidal form, and of which 
many yet remain as witnesses to the fact. The 
unique collection of Figs in the gardens at Chiswick 
was collected by Dr. Hogg during one of his excur¬ 
sions upon the Continent. 
In 1848, the Cottage Gardener was established by 
Mr. G. W. Johnson at Winchester, but in August, 
i860, it was removed to London, where Dr. Hogg 
joined Mr. Johnson as co-editor. The following 
year (1861), the title of the paper was changed to the 
Journal of Horticulture. Mr. Johnson will be known 
to our readers from the fact that he edited the first 
two editions of The Gardeners' Dictionary. He retired 
in 1881, and died in 1886. Soon after this gentle¬ 
man’s decease, Dr. Hogg purchased his share in the 
property, becoming sole proprietor. 
In 1865 the latter was earnestly engaged with others 
in laying the foundation of the Great International 
Exhibition and Botanical Congress which was held 
in London the following year. 
Harking back to 1869, it may Le noted that Dr. 
Hogg was appointed Official Commissioner of the 
Royal Horticultural Society to attend the great 
International Exhibition held at St. Petersburg 
during May of that year, his co-delegate being Mr. 
Andrew Murray. Sir Joseph Hooker represented 
British Botany. The Emperor Alexander II. wished 
to confer the Order of St. Ann on Dr. Hooker and 
Dr. Hogg, but the British Government did not 
permit its subjects to receive foreign distinctions. 
His Majesty gave command for a malachite table 
and signet ring to be prepared and sent to Dr. Hogg. 
After the death of Mr. Johnson, the Doctor took 
but a small share of lhe editorial work of the Journal 
of Horticulture, and practically none in recent years, 
confining himself to the business department. More 
than a year ago he relieved himself of all responsi¬ 
bility in favour of his son, Mr. R. Milligan Hogg, 
who became the proprietor, though this fact was not 
generally known. When Dr Hogg’s retirement 
became known, Dr. Masters, unknown to the former 
set about getting together a collection of portraits of 
his friends and associates to be presented in the 
form of an album, which, alas ! was too late in being 
completed for presentation. When informed of what 
was in progress, he smiled in recognition of the 
graceful act of his friends. The memento will be 
cherished by his family. 
During his heyday of vigour, Dr. Hogg was 
enjoyed for his heartiness, and the warm geniality of 
his friendship. He has all along been a friend of all 
true gardeners. Much time was spent in improving 
his Sussex estate, laying out gardens, planting fruit 
trees, hardy trees, shrubs and flowers. He was his 
own architect and landscape gardener, and in his 
time built himself four mansions of considerable size. 
During the past year he was more or less of an 
invalid, and was confined to bed for the last three 
weeks. 
When last seen by Mr. J. Wright, his sub-editor 
for many years, he said, “Ah, Mr. Wright, if I 
should live to get out in the spring the sun and the 
flowers would do me good.” After a pause and a 
glance, he said more firmly, “ But you know I have 
had a good innings. I have much to be thankful for, 
and am thankful I assure you, and shall be whenever 
I may go to sleep.” The end came without pain, 
and perfectly calm. He would have been seventy- 
nine next month. He has had a long, busy, useful, 
and honourable career, and his end seems a fitting 
embodiment of Richard Le Gallienne’s lines, which 
appeared a few days before the Doctor’s death :— 
" Soft sleep, sweet sleep ; a little soothing Psalm 
Of slumber from Thy sanctuaries of calm. 
Of all Thy good, great Lord, deep sleep is best.” 
He was interred at the Necropolis Cemetery, Brook- 
wood, Woking, at mid-day, on Thursday, the 18th 
inst. 
Questions add AnsoieFS 
*,* Will our friends who send us newspapers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
[Correspondents, please note that we cannot undertake to 
name florists' flowers such as Carnations, Pelargoniums, 
Chrysanthemums, Roses, nor such as are mere garden 
varieties, differing only in the colour of the flower. 
Florists' flowers, as a rule, can only be named by those who 
grow collections of them.'] 
Sweet Peas and Insects.— T. H. AnselT. Under 
natural conditions Sweet Peas rarely get crossed by 
insects. They are self-fertilising. Hive bees visit 
them very much, in order to collect pollen, but 
owing to the structure of the flowers and the 
shedding of the pollen from the anthers before the 
opening of the flowers, they are fertilised by their 
own pollen. Bees only assist this operation by 
pressing down the wings of the flower in order to 
collect pollen. It is the custom of seed growers to 
sow their Sweet Peas in lines at certain distances 
apart, but all on the same piece of ground, whatever 
its size, and whatever the number of varieties may be. 
Experience has taught them that it is quite safe to 
follow this practice. Private gardeners who grow a 
collection of named varieties, sow them in rows or 
half rows on the same ground. Moreover, you may 
plant the seeds of as many varieties as you like, 
alternatively in the same row, and if you label each 
and harvest the seeds carefully, you will find they 
come true to name. You must make a little allow¬ 
ance for sporting, as they vary a little in this way 
sometimes. 
Treatment of Plant — H. I. : The specimens you 
sent us were those of Sparmannia africana, a South 
African plant that thrives well in a cool greenhouse 
temperature. You are keeping it in too high a 
temperature. About 45 0 to 50° would be better than 
55 q to 6o R , which you have been giving it. The 
flower you sent was scarcely half the size it should 
have been, and gave us the impression that you had 
been forcing it too hard. A cool greenhouse or 
conservatory, well ventilated on all favourable occa¬ 
sions, would suit it admirably The same treatment 
as is given to Heaths, Cytisus, Richardias, and 
Pelargoniums, would answer the purpose. 
Indoor Creeper.— J. Hole. : The correct name of 
the plant you send us is Streptosolen Jamesonii. It 
was introduced from Columbia in 1847, so that we 
doubt very much whether it will prove hardy in any 
part of this country. The fact of its being naturally 
evergreen would render it more susceptible of injury 
from frost than if it were deciduous, that is, if it 
dropped its leaves in autumn. The species is allied 
to Browallia, a genus of annuals often grown in pots 
for conservatory decoration. It is treated as a 
greenhouse plant, and is propagated by cuttings in 
sand under a bell glass. 
Tulip Bulbs rotting away.— T. H. Ansell : It 
would be pure guess-work to say definitely what 
caused the bulbs of any particular variety to rot 
away without having seen them in the early stages 
of decay. It may possibly have been due to the 
presence of bulb mites between the scales, or what is 
more probable to some fungus, such as that caused 
by Bacillus Hyacinthi, a bacterial disease of Tulip 
and Hyacinth bulbs. Very often two evils go 
together, but the fungus is generally, if not always 
the worse and more destructive enemy. If the fun¬ 
gus had made much progress upon the bulbs last 
summer, the chances are that they would fail to 
flower with anybody ; but if the damage was not 
great, they would probably flower well the first sea¬ 
son, at least, if they get good cultural treatment. 
Bulbs will also flower well even if there are some 
mites upon them if potted in good time and 
allowed to form roots before they are put in heat. 
If the bulbs you speak of are not too much decayed 
we would be pleased to examine them. 
Strawberries for Forcing. —Bulbs : Runners potted 
up now would not be of much value for forcing this 
year, and they would be too large and too old for 
next year’s work. Moreover, they would cost you a 
deal of labour in watering and repotting them during 
the coming summer. The best way is to get as 
many “ long Tom ” pots as you want. Put a crock 
in the bottom of each and fill up with good fibrous 
loam and a small quantity of sand to make it porous 
if too heavy. This need not be done till runners 
have formed on your plants; but when that has 
taken place, plunge a pot betide each runner and peg 
one of the young plants into it, or lay a stone upon 
the runner to keep the plantlet in place. The 
plunging will save watering to a considerable extent; 
but by giving a good watering now and again in dry 
weather, it will hasten the rooting process After good 
roots have been made you may sever the young 
plants from the parents, lift the pots and stand them 
close together upon ashes in a sunny position 
About the end of August, these young plants should 
be put in 32-size pots, which will be large enough for 
forcing and fruiting purposes. The compost should 
consist chiefly of good fibrous loam, with, perhaps, a 
small quantity of well-rotted cow manure and sand. 
You can give the plants liquid manure after the fruit 
is set. Young plants are always used for forcing 
purposes with the best results. 
