Letter from Jos. D. Hooker [Joseph Dalton Hooker] to George Maw
Information
Title
Letter from Jos. D. Hooker [Joseph Dalton Hooker] to George Maw
Record type
Archive
Original Reference
MAW/1/193
Date
28 Nov 1879
Scope & content
Written from Royal Gardens, Kew. Manuscript
He is glad that Maw’s journey was pleasant and profitable; Maw has been fortunate with croci; he thinks that the No 9 suspending terracotta label will be good enough for trees, and that the writing should be in round hand; they could select 30 that should be in many gentlemen’s and all nurserymen’s gardens to be kept in stock; the marked labels could be advertised as being in the Kew Arboretum; most would have the name and authority on the first line and the country of origin on the second; the name should occupy the whole length of the marker; the iron shank of the ground marker should be at least 18 inches, as they get dirty when low to the ground, and are knocked over and damaged by the scythe and mowing machine; slate is the best for ground markers, though the writing then must be vertical, but their durability makes up for it; he asks if it is possible to coat the top of a slate tally with terracotta or Parian [a type of biscuit porcelain imitating marble] and then enamel on that; the specimen plate of Crocus is very beautiful, but the directional shading is defective and none of the stems look cylindrical due to lack of proper shading, and the colour of the flower is also bad; he suggests Maw come up and get a lesson on shading from Fitch [Walter Hood Fitch, botanical artist], as it would be well worth his while