308 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



A great feature of Revesby life was the garden. Here 

 were undertaken many of Sir Joseph's planting experi- 

 ments ; and here were deposited a vast number of the 

 curious and elegant exotics which constantly found their 

 way into his hands. To this day the garden of Revesby 

 Abbey is a paradise. Beautiful trees from every country 

 on the globe, flowers of infinite variety, meet the eye 

 at every turn. The scene is one that could only have 

 been devised and perfected by consummate taste, allied 

 to a thorough knowledge of the resources of floral gran- 

 deur. 



Several hundred deer were kept in the park. Banks 

 was once induced to compute the profits accruing from 

 deer-keeping, and found himself usually a gainer. The 

 large area of 340 acres supported numbers of sheep and 

 cattle besides. The spacious adjacent fen-lands were 

 undergoing, in Banks's time, a continuous process of 

 enclosure ; and these became famous grazing lands. 

 During the active part of his lifetime the entire county 

 was fired by his example, both as landlord and agricul- 

 turist. His advice and his opinions, on crops, and stock, 

 and farming generally, were eagerly sought. 1 



Banks had been long associated with Sir John Sinclair 

 and Mr. Arthur Young in the improvement of agricul- 

 tural methods. Young was wonderfully helped by really 

 competent persons. The hospitality of the best houses 

 all over the country was opened to him. 



Sir Joseph Banks was soon hand-in-hand with Arthur 



drawings. She had the goodness to favour me with the following 

 totals : 



In 1788, 1764 Ibs. In 1791, 842 Ibs. In 1794, 1366 Ibs. 



1789. 693 ,, 1792, 1410 1795, 2567 ,, 



., 1790,1711 ,, 1793,2644 ,, ,, 1796,1562 



In Sir Joseph Banks's kitchen is the picture of a pike that weighed 



thirty-one pounds, which was thirteen years old." (Agricultural Survey 



of Lincolnshire, p. 395.) 



1 "... We are grown proud of heart. ... I never saw my neigh- 

 bours in so high spirits. The Fens are drained and peopled, and agri- 

 cultural industry is active among us " (Banks to Marsden, 4 Oct., 1810). 



