NINETEENTH CENTURY 
271 
Johnson, the historian of gardening, dedicated his work to 
Knight, and speaks of him in glowing terms as one “ who 
unites to a knowledge of the Practices of Gardening the most 
perfect knowledge of the sciences that assist it.” 1 To “ this 
distinguished vegetable physiologist ” the Horticultural Society 
owed its origin. Being born in Herefordshire, in 1759, and 
brought up in the midst of orchards, he began early in life to 
watch the growth of trees, and try experiments. He felt the 
want of some stimulus to horticulture, and thought the forma¬ 
tion of a Society " whose object should be the improvement 
of Horticulture in all its branches ” 2 would have that effect. 
Accordingly, with the co-operation of Sir Joseph Banks, he 
organized the Horticultural Society, and a meeting to in¬ 
augurate it was held on March 7th, 1804. The first President 
was the Earl of Dartmouth, John Wedgewood the first 
Treasurer, and Cleeve the first Secretary, who was soon super¬ 
seded by R. A. Salisbury (born 1761, died 1829). Price, the 
Clerk of the Linnaean Society, was also engaged as Clerk to 
the New Horticultural. In 1809, on April 17th, the charter 
of incorporation was signed by King George the Third. The 
next year the first number of the Transactions was brought 
out. These quarto volumes were elaborately got up, and were 
so costly that the sum spent on them by 1830 amounted to 
£25,250. 3 In 1811, on the death of the Earl of Dartmouth, 
Thomas Andrew Knight was elected President. Under his 
energetic presidency the affairs of the Society prospered. In 
1818 their first experimental gardens were started at Kensing¬ 
ton and at Ealing, but these were discontinued when the 
Society obtained a long lease of the Chiswick gardens four 
years later, and carried on their experiments there. 
About the same time the Society began its greatest work, 
which was not only the receiving of plants from abroad, but 
the sending out of collectors also. The first plant of Wistaria 
(Wistaria sinensis ) was sent from China, in 1818, by John 
Reeves. He was tea inspector there for nearly twenty years, 
and corresponded with Sir Joseph Banks. The original 
1 History of English Gardening, by Geo. W. Johnson, 1829. 
2 The Book of the Royal Horticultural Society, by Andrew Murray, 1863. 
3 From notes kindly furnished by Mr. John Weathers, the Assistant- 
Secretary to the Society. 
