Cambridge Library Collection – Botany and Horticulture: A Selection from the Physiological and Horticultural Papers Published in the Transactions of the Royal and Horticultural Societies

Thomas Andrew Knight (1759-1838) was a distinguished British naturalist and botanist who is often regarded as the father of nineteenth-century horticultural science. From 1811 to 1838 Knight was the president of the Royal Horticultural Society and his interest in structural biology, plant physiology and plant breeding is evident in this collection of papers, published in 1841. On his country estate in Herefordshire, Knight devoted his time to research and writing, and carried out experiments on plants and trees. He published papers on his theories about such physiological problems as the ascent and descent of sap and how buds are produced. The main focus, however, is on Knight’s own practical work: building greenhouses and experimenting with plant nutrition, fertilisation and the improvement of fruit trees by selective breeding (work later appreciated by Darwin). In an interesting chapter on animals, Knight relates his observations on the behaviour of bees and dogs.