George Sinclair (horticulturist)

George Sinclair (* 1786 in Mellerstain ( Berwickshire ), † March 13 1834 in Deptford ) was a British gardener and author. He had the oversight of the gardens of Woburn Abbey. His botanical author abbreviation is " G.Sinclair ".

Life

Sinclair came from a Scottish gardener family, both his father George Sinclair (1750-1833) and his uncle were gardeners, the former. Jerviswood in, the latter at Bonnington in Lanark First, Sinclair was in the service of the Gordon clan, as a daughter but in 1803 John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford married, he was the gardener at Woburn Abbey. From this and led by chemist Humphry Davy, Sinclair operational botanical research.

Since 1824 he was a business partner of seeds and seedlings dealer Cormack & Son in New Cross, the same year he also became a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. In addition, he was also a member of the Royal Horticultural Society.

His treatise on the grasses Hortus gramineus woburnensis appeared in at least five editions between 1816 edition, and 1869; and 1826 in German translation by Cotta. While the first edition also contained colored copies of the described plants, recourse was had to the less expensive version of the image by using the recently developed lithograph from the second edition.

Reception

In the 4th chapter of The Origin of Species Charles Darwin resorted to in Hortus gramineus woburnensis published ecological insights Sinclair back inter alia that habitats with a higher biodiversity have higher productivity. Sinclair's test fields can be considered as the first ecological experiment. Darwin, however, did not read the book but Sinclair's summary article on Cultivating a Collection of Grasses in Pleasure - grounds or flower- gardens, which appeared in Loudon's Gardener 's Magazine in 1826.

Writings

• Hortus gramineus woburnensis: or, An account of the results of experiments on the produce and nutritive qualities of different grasses and other plants used as the food of the more valuable domestic animals: . Instituted by John, Duke of Bedford, London, 1816 (2nd edition of 1825) Hortus gramineus Woburnensis or experiments on the yield and nutritional forces of various grasses and other plants which are used for maintenance of the nützlichern domestic animals. Organized by John, Duke of Bedford. Explains, together with information on the best grasses, Stuttgart in 1826. (Translated by Friedrich Schmidt)