To Alphonse de Candolle 11 October 1869
Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.
Oct 11 1869
My dear Sir
I am very much obliged for yr extremely interesting letter. Your experiment strikes me as a very valuable & simple one,—so simple that now that it has been once suggested, I am surprized that no one ever thought of trying it before.1 Nägeli, indeed, in one of his recent essays complains that no one has made this experiment with Alpine & lowland forms of the same species.2 I forwarded your letter to Dr Hooker, who seems very glad to have the opportunity of making the trial.3 As I shall have many experiments in progress next spring, which cannot be deferred, & as I have little strength to spare, I believe it would be the wisest plan to send all the seeds to Kew.4 But I will open some of the packets & see how many seeds there are, so that if numerous I will try a few myself— I will not however sow them till the spring, for I have lately had some experience in raising during the winter hardy annuals in my greenhouses, & I find that they become much drawn up—
With my best thanks for your kindness & the most sincere respect, I remain | My dear Sir | yours very faithfully | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Nägeli, Carl Wilhelm von. 1867. Die Piloselliformia. [Read 4 May 1867.] Sitzungsberichte der königlichen Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München 1: 450–78.
Summary
Thanks AdeC for his interesting letter [6915]. The experiment strikes CD as a very valuable one. CD has forwarded the letter to Hooker, who is glad to make the trial. CD will have many experiments in progress next spring but he will open the packet of seeds and if they are numerous, will try a few himself.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6933
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Alphonse de Candolle
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Archives de la famille de Candolle (private collection)
- Physical description
- LS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6933,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6933.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17