My dear Sir.

Your kind note and specimens have been forwarded to me here, where I am staying at my son’s house for a fortnight’s complete rest, which I required from rather too hard work.² For this reason I will not now examine the seeds, but will wait till returning home, when with my son Francis’ aid I will look to them.

I always felt, though without any good reason, rather sceptical about Prof. Buckman’s experiment, and I afterwards heard that a most wicked and cruel trick had been played on him by some of the agricultural students at Cirencester, who had sown seeds unknown to him in his experimental beds.—³ Whether he ever knew this I did not hear.

I am exceedingly glad that you are willing to look into the Russian wheat case.⁴ It may turn out a mare’s nest, but I have often incidentally observed curious facts when making what I call “a fool’s experiment”.

My dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin