10 LIFE OF 



The following year Mr. Knight married Frances, the youngest 

 daughter of the late Humphrey Felton, Esq., of Woodhall, near 

 Shrewsbury. The gentleness of her disposition and her 

 unceasing endeavours to promote his comfort and happiness 

 during the forty-six years they were permitted to spend 

 together, secured to her the affections of a heart so calculated 

 for the reception of the endearing ties of domestic life,, as that 

 of Mr. Knight ; and the pain of separation is now softened to 

 her by a recollection of the uninterrupted harmony in which this 

 long interval was passed. 



On his marriage, Mr. Knight established himself at Elton, in 

 the immediate vicinity of his mother's and brother's residences ; 

 the acquisition of a hothouse and a farm now enabled him to 

 prosecute his experiments in horticulture and agriculture with 

 more advantage than heretofore. His income, as a younger 

 brother, was at this time limited, and it was astonishing how 

 much he did to advance the science of horticulture with a 

 garden and an establishment of the least expensive description ; 

 but one of his peculiarities was, the readiness by which, with his 

 own hands and the assistance of a common carpenter or black- 

 smith, he would construct all the machinery he required for 

 conducting his most elaborate experiments. 



About this time Mr. Knight became acquainted with Sir 

 Joseph Banks ; and this introduction had so important an 

 influence on his future proceedings, that it should not pass 

 unnoticed. It occurred in the following manner : The Board 

 of Agriculture had drawn up a set of queries, to which they 

 desired to obtain answers from different districts ; and an 

 application had been made to Sir Joseph Banks to recommend 

 persons properly qualified, to whom the queries should be 

 addressed. Sir Joseph referred to Mr. Payne Knight to 

 recommend some one for this purpose in Herefordshire ; who 

 mentioned his brother, as more likely than any one he knew to 

 fulfil the object in view, from his practical knowledge of the 

 agricultural operations of that part of England, as well as from 

 the attention he had given to its natural history. 



