From W. E. Darwin 31 December [1880]1
Basset, | Southampton.
Dec 31
My dear Father,
I send you the diagrams as to Teg Down, and there is another on the back of Rifle Valley.2
I cannot read your pencil notes on the back.3 It seems to me that all one can say in each case is that there is always more in the valleys, and that in case of slopes the thickness of mould diminishes with the angle of slope.
I suppose if the worms cast up earth in inverse ratio to the steepness of slope, and hardly worked at all where the mould was only just enough to support grass, you might have a constant thickness of mould in any place continuing the same for centuries.
I think the diagrams explain themselves— if you wanted any points cleared up I could easily go there. I am looking again into the St Catherine Hill notes & will write soon.4
I hope Mother is better and downstairs, please give her my love and say what a pleasant Christmas we had.5
Your affect son | W. E D
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Summary
Sends diagrams [missing] showing worm action at two sites.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12957
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Bassett
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 88
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12957,” accessed on 11 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12957.xml