Thomas Andrew Knight

It’s the birthday of Thomas Andrew Knight, who was born in England on this day in 1759.

Knight served as the second president of the Royal Horticultural Society. He assumed the position at the urging of his friend Joseph A Banks.
Knight's inclination was always to turn inward. Banks helped him overcome that.
He also encouraged Knight to begin reading scientific papers published by authors. Otherwise, Knight was purposefully shutting himself off from outside influences.
During his life, Knight had inherited 10,000 acres of land, and he used the property to conduct all kinds of experiments on plants like strawberries, cabbages, and peas.
Knight was a born pragmatist. His breeding efforts were always designed to help make better plants to feed the masses.