Samuel Hartlib

Samuel Hartlib (c. 1600 – 10 March 1662) was a polymath born in Germany to an English mother who settled in England. He was a noted promoter or intelligencer and writer in fields that included science, medicine, agriculture, politics and education. He fostered correspondents in England but also Europe and the colonies in New England or America names such as Hooke Boyle and Beale. From the 1640s, as printing censorship eased  Samuel paid for  22  works w to be printed.  Some of these were written by  himself, others were written by authors such as  Comenius  Scottish  and the poet John Milton, and one he published on fruit trees and cider "A Designe for Plentie" was by an unknown author, Samuel tried to track him down. In his own words "for although I have endevoured by digigent search to find out his name, yet I have not been able to compass the matter: onely this I have beeen told, that the Author of this Designe was an aged Minister of the Gospel .....the place of his abode being said to be Loving-land neer Yarmouth"

He corresponded with several cider makers some of whom later were involved in the Royal Society . 1658 was the first date Austen and Beale communicated through Hartlib.