Sir Ronald
Hatton was one of the most distinguished
horticulturists in the world. He was born in Hampstead
in North London on July 6, 1886, the son of a London
barrister. His formal education included Brighton
College, Exeter School, Oxford University and Wye
College. At Oxford he majored in medieval history but
his love of the land made him undertake his
distinguished career in agriculture.
After leaving Oxford he worked on a farm for a year
and then went to Wye College in Kent where he joined
the staff after a period of study. Wye College Fruit
Experiment Station later became known as the East
Malling Research Station and Hatton became acting
director of the station during World War I. He soon
became its long time director.
Hatton developed the Research Station from "a hut
in the corner of a 22-acre field" until at the time of
his retirement the Station possessed 360 acres of
land, well equipped laboratories and a staff of over
80 persons.
Hatton was known as a very able administrator and
an individual able to enlist the support for the
research station of the outstanding plant
physiologists, politicians and agricultural personnel
of the time.
He initiated the work of classification, testing
and standardization of fruit tree rootstocks. This
innovation has brought continuous fame to East Malling
since the dwarfing and non-dwarfing rootstocks found
in many nurseries of the time were classified into the
Malling I to XVI series. In cooperation with the John
Innes Horticultural Institution located at Merton near
London, he aided in the development of the rootstock
breeding work leading to the production of the
Malling-Merton series.
In 1932 the Research Station was accepted by the
University of London as an institution for which
candidates could register for higher degrees. As a
result many individuals from over the entire world
have taken advanced degrees at East Malling.
He was responsible for many scientific papers which
were always well written. He also was editor of the
Journal of Horticultural Science. Even after
his retirement and until his death he was an associate
editor of this Journal.
He traveled extensively throughout the world
discussing the value of clonal rootstocks.
The Imperial (now Commonwealth) Bureau of Fruit
Production was established at East Malling with Hatton
as the first director and later a consultant director.
Its journal, Horticultural Abstracts, has
become a standard reference throughout the world.
In the post World War II period he took a prominent
part in establishing the National Agricultural
Advisory Service (similar to our National Cooperative
Extension Service) and the National Fruit Trials, now
distinguished because it contains a very large
collection of cultivars of various kinds of fruit.
He was honored by the Queen with a knighthood in
1949. The royal Horticultural Society awarded him its
most famous honor, the Victoria Medal of Honor in
1930. He was awarded many distinctions by institutions
abroad.
Hatton was buried in the East Malling Churchyard
overlooking the East Malling Station where he spent so
much energy and enthusiasm. The East Malling Research
Station today stands as a monument to his
resourcefulness, foresight, and competence.
