J‘’cl)ruary  19,  1903. 
159 
JOUUNAL 
OF  UORTTGULTUllF  AXD 
COTTAGE 
GARDENER, 
An  Eminent  Practical  Scientist. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  son  of  Mr.  James 
M  ilson,  the  well-known  nurseryman  and  florist,  of  St.  Andrew’s, 
1 .  Born  under  the  shadow  of  turreted  walls,  in  the 
oldest  University  city  in  Scotland,  it  was  hardly  possible  to 
escape  having  a  longing  for  the  higher  learning.  Ur.  Wilson 
early  felt  the  influence  of  his  academic  surroundings,  but  his 
liking  for  the  living  plants  led  him  to  enter  on  the  old  profession 
and  to  follow  it  for  a  considerable  number  of  years.  He  thus 
gained  an  intimate  practical  knowledge  of  details,  touching 
almost  all  aspects  of  horticulture.  He  found  as  much  delight 
in  manipulating  the  rake  as  he  has  since  had  with  the  pencil 
John  H.  Wilson,  D.Sc.,  F.R.S.E. 
(Lecturer  in  Agriculture  and  Rural  Economy  in  St.  Andrew'.s  University. 
or  the-  pen.  His  enthusiasm  has  not  been  permitted  to  wane, 
and  to-day  he  is  as  truly  a.  gardener  as  he  ever  was. 
In  his  early  day  the  University  of  St.  Andrew’s  possessed  no 
teacher  of  botany.  Chemistry  was  one  of  the  few  .science  sub¬ 
jects  offered,  and  this  class  was  taken  advantage  of  by  the  young 
worker.  His  botanical  instincts  led  to  the  formation  of  a 
herbarium  of  the  plants  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  he 
thereby  gained  familiai'ity  with  the  chief  types  of  the ’maritime, 
moorland,  and  inland  flora.  Impelled  by  the  desire  to  pursue 
the  botanical  side  of  horticulture,  and  keeping  in  mind  the 
example  set  by  the  late  Mr.  John  Smith,  curator  of  the  Royal 
Carden-s,  Kew,  and  the  late  Mr.  John  Sadler,  curator  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Garden,  Edinburgh,  both  natives  of  the  East  of 
Fife,  he  joined  the  .staff  of  the  Edinburgh  Garden. 
After  three  yeai's’  work  there,  broken  by  an  interval  of  six 
months  in  St.  Andrew’s,  he  laid  down  the  tools  and  entered 
the  clas,ses  of  botany  and  geology  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 
and,  devoting  his  energies  to  the  work  of  the  former  class,  under 
the  kindly  encouragement  of  the  late  Professor  Alexander  Dick¬ 
son.  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  himself  first  in  both  the 
senior  lecture  class  and  the  practical  class.  Then  followed  a 
course  of  study  at  St.  Andrew’s,  leading  finally  to  the  degree 
■of  Doctor  of  Science. 
During  his  student  days  he  was  demonstrator  in  zoology, 
under  Professor  McIntosh,  and,  before  graduating,  he  published 
the  results  of  an  elaborate  investigation  into  the  life  history 
of  the  common  mu.ssel.  True,  however,  to  his  original  bent,  Im 
undertook  a  course  of  lectures  on  botany  in  the  University,  and 
this  was  followed  by  his  being  appointed  lecturer  in  botany 
there'.  Immediately  after  his  appointment  he  set  about  the  con- 
istruction  of  a  small  botanic  garden,  which,  when  finished,  proved 
to  be  a  model  of  its  kind.  Never  having  swerved  from  his 
loyalty  to  gardening,  he  agreed  to  be  teacher  of  the  class  of 
horticulture  which  had  just  been  organised  in  the  Heriot-Watt 
I'ollege,  Edinburgh,  at  which  the  writer  of  this  notice  had  the 
privilcgie  to  attend.  Although  pressed  by  teaching  and  research 
work,  he  travelled  every  Friday  evening  to  Edinburgh  to  conduct 
this  class,  the  emoluments  of  which  barely  paid  his  railway  fares 
and  hotel  bill.  His  class  was  composed  of  strenuous  young 
fellows,  mostly  gardeners,  who  were  anxious  to  make  themselves 
more  worthy  of  the  name,  and  I  know  he  looks  baek  to  his 
association  with  all  of  us,  and  with  the  gentlemen  who  originated 
the  class — among  whom  was  the  late  Mr.  IMalcolm  Dunn  as  one 
of  the  pleasantest  memories  of  his  life. 
1  he  next  few  years  were  spent  in  videning  his  experience, 
first  in  Edinburgh,  where  serious  attention  wasjggiven  to  the 
study  of  agriculture,  and  then  in  Leeds,  where, lecturer  in 
botany,  including  agricultural  botany,  he  once  more  brought 
his  gardening  into  play  by  laying  out  a  teaching  garden  on 
modern  lines.  Returning  to  Sit.  Andi’ew’s,  he  took  up  a  con¬ 
genial  task,  which  had  long  been  in  his  mind,  namely,  the 
organi.sing  of  an  agricultural  department  in  the  University  ;  and, 
as  lecturer  in  agriculture  and  rural  economy,  he  is  now  busily 
engaged  in  cari-ying  out  work  appropriate  to  the  full  realisation 
of  the  scheme. 
Immediately  after  his  appointment  to  this  important  post,  he 
undertook  an  extensive  tour  in  North  America  to  gain  insight 
into  inethods  followed  in  the  universities  and  colleges  there. 
Ho  visited  such  noted  workers  as  Professor  Hays,  of  the  L'niversity 
of  Minnesota;  Profes.sor  Bailey,  of  Cornell  Lmiversity ;  Mr. 
Luther  Burbank,  of  Santa  Rosa,  California  ;  and  the  late  Mr. 
William  Saunders,  of  the  Agricultural  Department,  W’^ashington 
(a  native  of  St.  Andrew’s).  He  missed  no  opportunity  of  record¬ 
ing  notes  of  the  cultivator’s  art.  whether  in  the  Orange  groves  of 
Southern  California  or  the  Wheat-clad  prairies  of  Manitoba. 
Trees,  for  ever  associated  with  the  name  of  Douglas  and  of  other 
famous  explorers,  were  the  object  of  special  observation. 
Dr.  Wilson’s  recent  experiments,  especially  in  hybridising 
farm  plants,  have  attracted  wide  attention.  His  work,  with 
garden  plants  is  well  known  by  his  papers  published  in  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society’s  “Hybrid  Conference  Report”  and  else¬ 
where.  The  Royal  Horticultural  Society  awarded  him  a  Silver 
Banksian  Medal  in  recognition  of  the  value  of  his  research.  A 
further  communication  on  garden  and  farm  hybrids,  I  am 
informed,  is  in  the  press,  in  connection  with  the  plant  breeding 
conference  held  recently  at  New  York. 
His  horticultural  propensities  have  found  expression  in  lecture 
courses  on  horticulture  given  in  the  University  and  in  the  Madras 
College,  St.  Andrews,  as  well  as  at  over  forty  centres  in  Fife, 
under  the  County  Council  scheme  of  technical  education.  His 
practical  knowledge  of  farm  and  garden  plants  is  put  to  good 
use  in  the  teachers’  nature  study  classes  under  his  care. 
'Love  for  his  Alma  Mater  and  enthusiasm  for  his  work  are 
responsible  for  the  fact  that  Dr.  W-'ilson  has  not  sought  a  sphere 
of  operations  mote  tempting  from  a  worldly  point  of  view.  To 
be  enabled  to  pursue  one’s  bent  in  peace  and  in  pleasing  company 
is,  alter  all,  a  near  approach  to  an  ideal  life. 
■ - - 
Table  Decorations. 
A  difficulty  often  presents  itself  at  this  or  an  earlier  period 
of  the  year,  after  a  succession  of  dinner  parties,  as  to  what  i-^ 
best  for  creating  a  diversion  from  the  orthodox.  If  some  fore¬ 
thought  has  previou.sly  been  given  to  the  subject,  by  propagating 
early  in  September  from  the  highly-coloured  tops  of  numerous 
narrow-leaved  Crotons  (Codiseums),  or  Acalypha  tricolor  mar- 
ginata  and  macrophylla,  Abutilon  Thompsoni,  and  Dracaenas, 
or  offshoots  of  the  ever-useful  Pandanus  A^eitchi,  with  a  few 
small,  graceful  Palms,  such  as  Cocos  AVeddelliana  and  Geonoma 
gracilis,  not  forgetting  Aralia  elegantissima,  plenty  of  material 
will  now  be  at  hand  to  enable  the  decorator  to  arrange  a  beautiful 
and  elegant-  table. 
It  will  be  necessary,  as  a  preventive  to  soiling  the  cloth,  to 
procure  some  smalll  tliin  pieces  of  circular  wood  on  which  to 
place  the  plants  after  shaking  them  out  of  the  pots.  Some  nice 
green  moss  (always  procurable  at  this  sieason  of  the  year)  will 
be  required.  Cover  the  ball  of  soil  with  the  moss,  bind  this 
.s-'omewhat  tightly  with  either  invisible  wire  or  thin, green  twine, 
such  as  is  u.sed' in  the  training  of  Smilax ;  procure  sufficient 
fronds  of  Adiantum  cuneatum  and  insert  them  into  the  moss 
evenly  all  over  the  ball,  when  you  Avill  have  plants  Avith  a 
“  finisiied  appearance.”  The.se  will  then  be  in  readiness  for 
placing  on  the  table,  the  centre  plant  being  about  loin  high, 
and  for  the  purpose  nothing  is  more  suitable  than  a  highly 
coloured  and  well  furnished  piece  of  C’roton  -The  Countess.  On 
each  side  place  two  plants  of  Cocos  Wedderiiana,  and,^  in  oppo¬ 
site  directions,  use  two  plants  of  Pandanus  Veitchi.  Next  come 
two  other  Crotons,  at  equal  distances  apart,  right  and  left  from 
the  centre. 
Another  arrangement  might  be  made  by  placing  a  single  plant 
of  Acalypha  tricolor  marginata  in  the  centre  of  the  composition, 
with  two  tiny  plants  of  Geonoma  gracilis  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
table.  In  the  four  corner  plants  may  be  nicely  coloured  and  neat 
specimens  of  Croton  C  helsoni.  A  feiv  frond.s  of  Adiantum 
Farleyense  may  be  dotted  here  and  there  on  the  cloth  wherever 
room  can  be  found,  and  a  few  petals  of  Zonal  Pelargonium  Ras- 
pail  Improved  placed  on  the  same,  completes  the  arrangement. 
If  carried  out  with  the  object  in  view  of  harmonising  the  coloured 
and  other  foliage,  a  magnificent  effect  will  be  created,  and  it  will 
have  tlie  advantage  of  being  a  satisfactory  variation  from  a 
Avholl.v  decorated  flower-table.— F.  Bible. 
