Richard Weston (botanist) facts for kids
Richard Weston (1733 – 20 October 1806) was an English botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He was very interested in gardening and farming. He wrote many books and articles about plants and how to grow them.
A Life of Plants and Books
Richard Weston started his career as a thread-hosier in Leicester. This means he sold stockings and other knitted items. But he loved plants much more! Sometimes, he called himself "a country gentleman" in his writings.
In 1773, he lived in Kensington Gore, a part of London. Later, he moved back to Leicester. There, he became the secretary of the local farming society. Richard knew a lot about plants and the books written about them. This was clear from all the works he published.
His first big book was called "Tracts on Practical Agriculture and Gardening". It came out in 1769. This book also listed other English writers who wrote about farming, gardening, and plants. He wrote two large works with Latin names: the Botanicus Universalis and the Flora Anglicana. He also wrote many smaller books and articles for the Gentleman's Magazine. Richard even wrote about the history of Leicester.
In 1804, Richard wrote one of his last articles. It was about using a "Valuable fossil as a manure" for farming. This article discussed new ideas for improving soil. These ideas came from a German farmer and clergyman named Johann Friedrich Mayer.
Books by Richard Weston
Richard Weston published many books in the late 1700s. Here are some of them:
- Tracts on Practical Agriculture and Gardening (1769)
- Botanicus Universalis et Hortulanus (4 volumes, 1770 - 1777)
- Flora Anglicana... (2 parts, 1775 and 1780)
- The Gardener's and Planter's Calendar (1773, 2nd edition 1778)
- The Gentleman's and Lady's Gardener (1774)
- The Gardener's Pocket Calendar (1774)
- Ellis's Gardener's Calendar (1774)
- The Nurseryman and Seedsman's Catalogue of Trees Shrubs, Plants and Seeds (1774)
- A New and Cheap Manure (1791)
- The Leicester Directory (1794)
