George Sinclair

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

Alopecurus agrostis from the third edition of Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis (1826)

Life

Sinclair came from a Scottish gardening family, both his father George Sinclair (1750-1833) and his uncle were gardeners, the former in Jerviswood , the latter in Bonnington near Lanark . At first Sinclair was in the service of the Gordon Clan , but when a daughter married John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford in 1803 , he became the latter's gardener at Woburn Abbey. Led by him and by the chemist Humphry Davy , Sinclair carried out botanical research.

From 1824 he was a business partner of the seed and young plant traders Cormack & Son in New Cross , in the same year he also became a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London . He was also a member of the Royal Horticultural Society .

His work on the grasses Hortus gramineus woburnensis appeared in at least five editions between 1816, the first edition, and 1869; and in 1826 in German translation by Cotta . While the first edition still contained colored copies of the plants discussed, from the second edition onwards, the more cost-effective variant of the illustration with the help of the recently developed lithography was used.

reception

In the 4th chapter of The Origin of Species , Charles Darwin took up the ecological findings of Sinclair published in Hortus gramineus woburnensis , including the fact that habitats with higher biodiversity are more productive. Sinclair's test fields can be considered the first ecological experiment. Darwin did not read the book, however, but rather Sinclair's summarizing article On Cultivating a Collection of Grasses in Pleasure-grounds or Flower-gardens , which appeared in Loudon's Gardener’s Magazine in 1826 .

Fonts

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. ( 2. Edition of 1825 )
- Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis or experiments on the yield and the nutritional powers of various grasses and other plants which serve for the maintenance of the more useful domestic animals. Organized by Johann, Duke of Bedford. Explains together with information about the best grasses , Stuttgart 1826. (translated by Friedrich Schmidt)
Hortus ericaeus woburnensis, or, A catalog of heaths in the collection of the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey: alphabetically and systematically arranged , London 1825.
(with James Donn ): Hortus Cantabrigiensis, or an accented catalog of indigenous and exotic plants cultivated in the Cambridge Botanic Garden , London 1831.
Treatise on Useful and Ornamental Planting , London 1832.

Web links

Ernest Clarke: Sinclair, George (1786-1834) , Dictionary of National Biography
Charles Darwin's predecessor was a gardener
Charles Darwin and Biodiversity
Cuthbert W. Johnson : The Works of George Sinclair , in: The Quarterly Journal of Agriculture , vol. XII, (June 1842-March 1843), pp. 440-468.
Author entry and list of the described plant names for George Sinclair at the IPNI

Individual evidence

↑ According to the Dictionary of National Biography , the father's first name is George and the year of birth is given as 1786. The Old Parish Registers (OPR) of the parish Earlston give the name with Duncan and the year of birth with 1787: Nov. 25 1787 - George son to Duncan Sinclair and Christian Tait, Gardiner baptized in Mellerstain; Aug. 10. 1782 - John son to Duncan Sinclair, Gardiner baptized in Mellerstain. John was an older brother of George . Since baptism usually took place within a week of birth, it can be assumed that George Sinclair's birthday was in the 2nd or 3rd week of November.
↑ Part I of Sinclair's article ; Part II
^ Andy Hector; Rowan Hooper: Darwin and the First Ecological Experiment , Science No. 295 (January 25, 2002), pp. 639-640, pp. 639. doi : 10.1126 / science.1064815 .
^ The intended passage in Darwin's book: “It has been experimentally proved, that if a plot of ground be sown with one species of grass, and a similar plot be sown with several distinct genera of grasses, a greater number of plants and a greater weight of dry herbage can thus be raised. " Translation :" It has been shown by experiments that if one sown a stretch of land with grasses of different clans, one can raise a greater number of plants and bring in a greater weight of hay than if one you sow the same stretch with only one type of grass. "

personal data
SURNAME	Sinclair, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	G.Sinclair (botanical author abbreviation)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British gardener and author
DATE OF BIRTH	1786
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mellerstain ( Berwickshire )
DATE OF DEATH	March 13, 1834
Place of death	Deptford

[1] According to the Dictionary of National Biography , the father's first name is George and the year of birth is given as 1786. The Old Parish Registers (OPR) of the parish Earlston give the name with Duncan and the year of birth with 1787: Nov. 25 1787 - George son to Duncan Sinclair and Christian Tait, Gardiner baptized in Mellerstain; Aug. 10. 1782 - John son to Duncan Sinclair, Gardiner baptized in Mellerstain. John was an older brother of George . Since baptism usually took place within a week of birth, it can be assumed that George Sinclair's birthday was in the 2nd or 3rd week of November.

[2] Part I of Sinclair's article ; Part II

[3] Andy Hector; Rowan Hooper: Darwin and the First Ecological Experiment , Science No. 295 (January 25, 2002), pp. 639-640, pp. 639. doi : 10.1126 / science.1064815 .

[4] The intended passage in Darwin's book: “It has been experimentally proved, that if a plot of ground be sown with one species of grass, and a similar plot be sown with several distinct genera of grasses, a greater number of plants and a greater weight of dry herbage can thus be raised. " Translation :" It has been shown by experiments that if one sown a stretch of land with grasses of different clans, one can raise a greater number of plants and bring in a greater weight of hay than if one you sow the same stretch with only one type of grass. "