From J. B. Bacon to Elizabeth Drysdale [1857–62?]1
My dear Lady Drysdale—
I have asked my man the questions you wished about the heath. He says it is a slow growing plant and is generally cut every 6 years but that there is no fixed period. The cutting it, does not depend upon its having come to its full growth. It is often burnt down and sheep are fed on the young shoots that spring up— of course it will grow more luxuriantly on some soils than others but he does not seem to think there is any limit to its life as the roots send up fresh shoots when the upper part dies away. For making use of it from burning I should think from what he says that it would be in the best condition at 6 yrs. growth. I am afraid these particulars will be scarcely explicit enough for your purpose.2
Believe Me | Yours Sincerely | J B Bacon
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Natural selection: Charles Darwin’s Natural selection: being the second part of his big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1975.
Summary
Heath is generally cut every six years, often in order to provide young growth for grazing. Also, the heath is in good condition for burning at six years growth.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2626
- From
- J. B. Bacon
- To
- Elizabeth Pew, Lady Drysdale/Elizabeth Copland, Lady Drysdale/Elizabeth Drysdale, Lady Drysdale
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 46.1: 93
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp †(by CD)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2626,” accessed on
