August 9th, 1823 - I waited on Mr Hogg, who expressed himself glad to see a person from London; on his knowing my object, he readily offered to aid me and in the meantime would, on the recommendation of Dr Hosack, accompany me to all principal parts of the city, till I should get a little acquainted.
Sunday, August 10th, 1823 - Mr Hogg accompanied me to some of his neighbours and religious friends; had a glimpse of their gardens etc.
This sounds like an important contact, but who was "Mr Hogg"? Courtesy of "The Journal of the New York Botanical Garden, Vol 43, No 515, Nov 1942" we learn that Thomas Hogg was an important nurseryman in NYC at the time. His nursery, first called The New York Botanic Garden, was at what is now 23rd Street & Broadway, then way up in the country outside of strictly city limits. Thomas Hogg Snr, came to New York via London from his native Scottish Berwickshire in 1820 [another Scot!!] and started his nursery two years later [so his nursery was either not yet extant or at a very early stage when Douglas visited in 1823. Mr Hogg always had some rare or pretty thing in flower. He did some hybridising himself and is said to have been the first in New York to import novelties from Europe. A good contact for Douglas indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment