INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21146, 2 October 1930, Page 12

INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURE.

; CONGRESS AT CAMBRIDGE. NEW ZEALAND DELEGATES. DR H. H. ALLAN’S ACTIVITIES. ; (From J Our . Own, ■*' . . ; > LONDON, August 21. ] 'Dr H.’H. Allan, of the. Plant Research -Station, Palmerston North,' and:Dr Kathleen Curtis', of . the Cawthron' Institute, Nelson, have been attending the fifth international horticultural congress - at King’s College, Cambridge. Prior to-the Dr Allan, with- Dr Merrill (director ■of the . Botanic Gardens, New •York) was the guest of Dr A. W. Hill of -the .KewGardens). Dr Allan proposes' later to return to Kew to 'study _the collection, of -New Zealand i plants there, and also"those in the British Museum of Natural Histoid At the'cdn- , gregs, he. was,' especially interested;;in the ii meetings of . the ecological and taxonomic ~ sections, where questions deeply concern*. ’.intNew Zealand , botany were discussed. c /Dr Allan, states that'he intends shortly to go with. Professor F. W. Oliver, P.E.S., . to.. Holland to study the work being.underftaken _ there in ■ establishing the grass ; Spartina 'Towiisendii,, which . has proved ,-such a valuable grass on mud flat areas.! , .“A small .experimental plot has been in New Zealand,” said Dr ; Allan, “ and.the knowledge;l shall be able ."■to accumulate should be useful to us. During my stay in Holland I shall be the , guest of Dr J. P. Lotsy, of Velp. The visit of this great Dutch botanist to; New ' Zealand will be well remembered by all ' New Zealand naturalists. Dr Lotsy is '.the famous exponent of the part played by hybridisation" in the production of new species. As Now Zealand has become . known the world over by the recent de- ’ velopmente in' ’the wild plants there. Dr Lotsy is naturally: anxious to receive details of the wort -at first hand.” v - . TRULY' INTERNATIONAL, ' That the fifth international botanical congress was truly international is shown by thp following, little Incident. At an afternoon tea party the following found themselves seated at one table together;' —Professor J. Holmboe, (Norway), Dr Yakshanakara (Siam),’Dr M. Navashin' (Russia),.‘ Dr ,E.,.Babcock . .(America)/ Professor R. Krause] (Germany), and Dr. . H, H;; Allan (New Zealand). ; • ’Dr Allan told of Sh. amusing statement, made by Dr Chuhj director of the Botanical Institute College of Agriculture, Canton; “I regret, said Dr Chun, “that Chinese is not an official language of the: ■ congress. 1 am. sure .that European hptanists' will agree with me' that English 1 is' -a most difficult language. When in 'America I heard the expression, ‘Where am I at? ■ Recently in Lpndon I heard, ‘ Where is my /’at? THE HOOKER MEMORIAL, , “Halesworth is a pretty little village, csome 80 miles from Cambridge by road,”; • .continued Dr Allan. “It bears the distinction of being the only village in England where the railway platform' ia built 1 right across- the main road. When the: train has proceeded on its way sections of the platform are slid aside, and the traffic ithat has accumulated ‘i& : graciously per-: mitted to proceed on its-journey.- Hales-' worth received a considerable influx of visitors-on Sunday, August 17, when ad; vantage. was taken "of the sitting of the Fifth International Congress to unveil; a memorial-to the Hookers, father andson, those renowned leaders of botanical; thought,, whose' influence was world-wide ; and especially Empire-wide; “In Halesworth Sir William Hooper lived from 1809 to 1820, and here in 1817. was born .the child who was to become- . Sir Joseph, and the greatest botanist of his day and generation. A pilgrimage was. first made to the Hooker home and its, old-world garden, under the shade of. whose magnificent elms the young Hooker .must have played in an atmosphere ofpeace and quiet. Thp unveiling and dedication, service was held in the pretty stone church of St. Mary’s. Father and eon became in: turn directors of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew—that Mecca of botanists—and it was appropriate that Sir David Prain, a past director, should perform the unveiling ceremony. “ Sir David, in a graceful speech, re-: ferred to the veneration-in which -the Hookers, are held by botanists of all • nations, and the profound influence which; • their work continues to exercise. ; “ The dedication was performed by the. , Bishop of St. Edmundsbufy and Ipswich, who .delivered a simple yet dignified ad-; dress on the theme of■ the reconcilement' between science and'religion that has beeu ; . witnessed since the day-of the Hookers.. It la now recognised that human life requires both influences, which need not at all be in antagonism. The bishop grace-' fully referred, to the refining influence of gardens, with the message of spiritual-peace and unity. His words were greatly appreciated by visitors who had just motored through some of the finest parts of rural England, where every home from the stateliest to the most humble had ite beau tiful garden. “Since Sir Joseph Hooker is the greatest. name in New Zealand systematic botany owing to his_ great works —“The Flora Novae-Zealandim ” and the “ Hand book of New Zealand Flora ” —and since he is revered by all naturalists of that country, it was appropriate that at the memorial service the Dominion should-be .represented by tbe New Zealand delegates to the congress. Not soon will be forgotten this pleasant and impressive interlude in the more technical business of the congress Through the kindness of Viscount Ullswater and Professor F. W. Oliver, who organised the service, the delegates were •presented with a tangible memento in the form of a beautiful photographic reproduction of the memorial tablet," As delegate to the congress, Dr Allan represents the Plant Research Station of New Zealand, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research of New Zealand, the Auckland Institute, the New Zealand Institute, and the Forestry Department of New Zealand. Each representation carries with it a vote on the important resolutions concerning plantmaming, which greatly concern New Zealand betaaietsv