To F. T. Buckland 29 February [1868]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Feb. 29th
My dear Sir
Many thanks for your kind note & various pieces of information.— I will write to Mr Bush about the Rats.—2 In relation to the fecundation of ova, you may perhaps like to hear that I tried with much care on rather large scale the effect of very little pollen & an immense supply—& there was no difference in the number or weight of the seed, or in their germination.— With all plants more than one grain, generally 10–40 are requisite for fertilisation.—3 I return the enclosed, which I have been glad to see, but it must, I shd. think, be charlantanry.—4
I already possess a pamphlet entitled “La Loi de Production des Sexes, par M. Thury”.—5
With many thanks, My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Cross and self fertilisation: The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1876.
Thury, Marc Antoine. 1863. Mémoire sur la loi de production des sexes chez les plantes les animaux et l’homme. 2d edition. Geneva and Paris: Joël Cherbuliez.
Summary
CD sends thanks for information; he will write to Mr Bush.
In relation to the fecundation of ova CD adds that he has compared the use of very little pollen against an immense supply; found no difference in number or weight of seeds or in their germination.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5956
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Francis Trevelyan (Frank) Buckland
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5956,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5956.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16