My dear Sir

I am extremely much obliged to you for your note with your account of your experiments in the salting line.— Your approbation in the Gardener’s Chron. has been a great satisfaction to me, & has stimulated me to go on trying.¹

I hope you will state in Gardeners’ Chron. (or to me) whether the seeds which were left for 5 days were quite wet or became partially dry: in the former case it might, I sh^d. think be counted as part of the immersion.²

I had begun to try whether by drying the seeds for a week after immersion, whether they w^d. then germinate; but this day I have had a most provoking accident in a set of seeds, which had soaked for 8 & 10 weeks (& those which had been dryed) having been allowed to get dry in the glasses, owing to one day’s omission of looking at them, & I fear they are assuredly all killed. I may just mention that some of my seeds have germinated after 56 days immersion. By the way, I may mention, that when the seeds are come to nearly their full period of endurance: their germination becomes much delayed sometimes.

Hooker seems much interested in these experiments; but they seem to have had very little influence, or no influence, in making him think that plants thus get distributed, which I am rather surprised at; & I sh^d. like sometime very much to hear your opinion on this head.

With very sincere thanks, pray believe me Your’s very sincerely | C. Darwin

Your Peas have come up capitally³