My dear Sir

If you sh^d. have leisure & your health sh^d. be good, & if again you sh^d. feel any little interest on subject, perhaps you would try the experiment on Ep. palustris. Flowers sh^d. be chosen in middle of spike, & marked by a thread; & when the capsules are nearly ripe, each sh^d. be separately folded up in paper; & another capsule from an unmutilated flower close by from same spikes sh^d. be gathered & folded up in paper. as standard of comparison.— I would then endeavour to estimate whether there was any difference in fertility in the flowers possessed of the distal portion of the labellum, & those deprived of it.— I sh^d. much like to see this point ascertained;² but of course you must not think of troubling yourself unless you sh^d. feel some little curiosity on the subject.

Many thanks for your note.—³

Pray do not think of acknowledging this | My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Of course the distal portion of labellum would have to be removed from flowers not fully expanded.—