A Garden Pioneer
An event in the early life of Mr. Davidson, who died full of years and honour in his craft last month, may be taken as the foundation of the modern cult of gardening. He made up his mind to become a horticultural journalist in a wider field than was offered by the technical papers ; and in pursuance of his faith he visited the editors of almost every London daily paper. He was received, so he told me the last time I saw him, with ridicule. That such a technical subject should appear in a paper devoted to news seemed to the wise editors the absurd dream of a young and foolish zealot. Yet he found one exception. Mr. Parke, then editor of the Star, accepted the suggestion with some diffidence, yet eagerly. Within a twelvemonth the gardening column in the Star was copied by the great majority of the London papers to the advantage both of themselves and their readers. From that date almost- to the day of his death Mr. Davidson continued to contribute—brilliantly and above all soundly, to the Press both daily and monthly, especially in later days to the News Chronicle and Country Gentleman's Magazine. The cult of which he was pioneer never advanced more rapidly than today. The Chelsea novelty finds its way to the cottage garden in a trice. This very week I have seen in such a niche both a hedge of Lonieera nitida and a bed of Poulsen roses and such dahlias as none dreamt of when Mr. Parke commenced editor.
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