From James Torbitt 10 March 1881
J. Torbitt, | Wine Merchant. | 58, North Street, | Belfast.
10th Mar 1881.
Charles Darwin Esqr | Down.
My dear Sir
I duly received your valued letter of 5th. Jany. last— when the money is wanted I shall write to you, and I am now going on with the thrice crossed seeds which seem larger than any I have had previously, and I have pushed the principle of selection among them much further than ever before, and I propose to do the same with the seedling plants, they are now germinating healthily.1 As I have said, I will do my best with the experiments, if only because you are so deeply interested, but I am myself pretty well disgusted by the apathy and stupidity of those most interested.2
On yesterday and day before I sent to your address carriage paid one box and one basket specimens, the box contains a flat oval 1877, of which there are some hundred or two which are likely to be lost. It was stored on a loft, is now growing, and what you do not want of it, can be thrown away.
The basket contains a small bag of 1877s and 1878s each tuber a different variety once crossed, a small bag of 1879s each tuber a different variety twice crossed, and 6 varieties (whole of each) of 1880 twice crossed. The small tubers of these were sent to show the whole produce of the seed, and should not be planted. There is also I think a small bag of tubers of a variety of 1877, something like the Scotch Champion.3 Should you have room for more of the 1880s I should like to send them as they seem to be an improvement on the others.
The single tubers of different varieties will give no trouble to the gardener, as, if any of them turn out good, he has only to keep the produce of each good plant by itself.
I have sent 21 varieties of 1880 to Mr Caird today together with some single tubers of the other varieties, and will send to Mr Farrer some samples for table use when I get them in from the country, also some for seed.4
I am my dear Sir | most respectfully yours | James Torbitt
[Enclosure]
The following is from S. M. Alexander, Esq., J.P., D.L., Co. Derry:—5 Roe Park, | Limavady,
10th March, 1881.
J. Torbitt, Esq., | Belfast.
Dear Sir,
In reply to yours of 6th ult., permit me to say, that having long noticed the gradual decay, and, in many instances, complete disappearance of many varieties of the Potato, at one time looked upon as very valuable, I felt some alarm for the ultimate safety of so immensely important an item in the food supply of the people of this country, but was on the other hand greatly pleased to read in the recently issued Report of the late Parliamentary Committee their recommendation as to the means of renovating the Potato, which strikingly coincided with my own experience of a good many years—specially as to the great advantage resulting from the production of new varieties of great stamina, immense productiveness, and fine flavor, from seed balls after careful crossing, and which your own great efforts in the same direction for years past have done much to corroborate.6 I have now in my possession about thirty varieties grown from seed raised by you, which, after three years cultivation, enable me to bear decided testimony to their vigorous constitution, great productiveness, fine flavor, and in many almost complete immunity from disease. I think your system of distributing varieties raised by yourself lays the public under a deep debt of gratitude to you, and has afforded them a very economical means of obtaining many valuable specimens of the plant. A large proportion of those I had from you last year being all but disease-proof, and of prime quality, I do certainly think that, in view of the advantages already obtained, and others evidently obtainable, it is the bounden duty of the Government to adopt some means for the production of new varieties by the plan indicated, which experience has now proved to be so capable of advancing the National interests; and failing this, that the landed proprietary of the country should organize a syndicate to undertake or superintend the work by private enterprize, to which substantial encouragement should be given.
I am, dear Sir, | Yours faithfully, | S. M. ALEXANDER.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Report from the Select Committee on Potato Crop: Report from the Select Committee on Potato Crop; together with the proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix; 1880 (274) XII.309. House of Commons Parliamentary Papers.
Salaman, Redcliffe Nathan. 1985. The history and social influence of the potato. Revised edition by J. G. Hawkes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Summary
Sends CD some samples of recent produce. Is "pretty well disgusted by the apathy and stupidity" he has encountered whilst trying to arouse interest and support for his work.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13083
- From
- James Torbitt
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Belfast
- Source of text
- DAR 178: 173, DAR 52: E6
- Physical description
- ALS 5pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13083,” accessed on
