[Enclosure]

M^r. Darwin received, as he informs me, about two years ago a letter from the Baron de Villa Franca in Brazil, stating that he had raised new varieties of the Sugar-Cane by planting distinct varieties in apposition. As far as M^r Darwin can remember he expressed in answer his doubts whether the growth in close apposition of two varieties could possibly affect the character of the buds produced by either variety; & he thought it more probable that the new variety was due to bud-variation, which might be favoured by the conditions to which the cuttings had been subjected & is in itself an interesting fact.⁴ Recently he has received through the Brazilian Legation a letter from the Baron, enclosing one from D^r Glass, Superintendent of the Bot. Garden at Rio de Janeiro, in which he minutely describes the process adopted, a translation of which will be immediately given. The Baron also encloses a statement by eight land-owners & distinguished men in Brazil, made before a public notary, testifying to the fact that new & valuable varieties have been raised by this process.⁵ The subject is interesting because so few cases &c &c

Enlarge a little on physiological importance.—

Potatoes

Hyacinth

Blotched trees &c

Vines

D^r G. describes in detail with diagrams his attempts at first to graft together 2 varieties of the Sugar-cane & that he always failed, notwithstanding that he succeeded with another Monocotyledon, viz Dracaena—

Then Translation

Then Summary of the notices drawn up before the public Notary.—

(Then a brief Summary of the whole)

Perhaps a short discussion on the physiological importance of case w^d. come in here best; but it is on the other hand advantageous to attract reader’s attention early in the day—

Would it not be adviseable to express a hope that D^r. Glass would describe minutely the differences between the 2 joined varieties & the detailed character of the consequent new form?

The increased vigour of the new varieties thus raised, like cross-fertilised vars., deserves notice.—