78 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



plants and fruits by cultivation, selection, hybridisation, and in 

 other ways. 



It was not until the year 1804 that the idea of founding a 

 society to bring together British horticulturists occurred to the 

 mind of Thomas Andrew Knight, F.R.S., a name associated with 

 the Horticultural Society during a long course of years, and ever 

 regarded with the highest honour by all connected with it. Mr. 

 Knight, whose name and virtues are commemorated by the 

 Knightian Medal of the Society, had devoted much attention to 

 scientific horticulture and vegetable physiology, on which subjects 

 he had communicated several papers to the Royal Society. He 

 lived in Herefordshire in the midst of a cider and perry country, 

 and had been struck by the unskilful and unscientific manage- 

 ment of the surrounding orchards. He put himself into com- 

 munication with Sir Joseph Banks, P.R.S.,* the eminent botanist, 

 Mr. R. A. Salisbury, Messrs. Aiton and Forsyth, the royal 

 gardeners, and others ; the result being that on March 7, 1804, 

 the new society was founded. Its objects were defined to be " to 

 collect every information respecting the culture and treatment of 

 all plants and trees, as well culinary as ornamental ".; "to foster 

 and encourage every branch of horticulture, and all the arts con- 

 nected with it " ; and "to give premiums for improvements in 

 horticulture whenever it shall be judged expedient to do so." 

 In the first paper of the " Transactions " of the new society Mr. 

 Knight says : " The establishment of a national society for the 

 improvement of horticulture has long been wanted ; and if such 

 an institution meet with a degree of support proportionate to the 

 importance of its object, if it proceed with cautious circumspec- 

 tion to publish well-ascertained facts only, to detect the errors 

 of ignorance, and expose the misrepresentations of fraud, the 

 advantages which the public may ultimately derive from the esta- 

 blishment will probably exceed the most sanguine hopes of its 

 founders." It is interesting to note that, much as London has 

 changed during the nineteenth century, the meeting at which the 

 Horticultural Society was founded took place on the premises of 

 Messrs. Hatchard, booksellers, 187 Piccadilly, a firm which still 



* Sir Joseph Banks, Bart., was President of the ."Royal Society for forty- 

 one years. He died in 1820. A new edition of his Journals, during his 

 voyage with Captain Cook, has lately been published, edited by Sir Joseph 

 Hooker. 



