From John Scott 10 June [1864]1
Denholm
June 10th.
Sir.
I sent off by yesterday’s mail my papers of experiments on Passifloras &c. You will judge when you have time to look them over whether or not I have succeeded in drawing them up in such a manner as will admit of your communicating them to the Linn. Soc.2
I enclose a packet of seeds of Peloric Antirrhinums crossed by normal form. I also send results of my experiments on these forms....3 The self-sterility of peloric in my case is I believe opposed to results of previous experimenters. Wildenow in particular has somewhere stated that he has succeeded in fertilising peloric with own-pollen…4
My experiments were performed on two vigorous plants: both proved utterly impregnable by own-pollen, though both before & after and at the time of trying experiments with own-pollen, they were readily fertilised by pollen of normal; while the former likewise proved perfectly good on the stigmas of the latter. Further I have found that individual peloric flowers which occasionally occur on otherwise normal form are likewise self-sterile: though both sexual elements prove good when treated reciprocally with normally structured flowers.
I will be glad to hear how results of my experiments agree with yours, should you have made any: if desirable I will give mine in detail.5
I am sorry that I have [no] seeds by me, otherwise you should have had them. I gave a quantity of seeds—Primulas—hybrid & pure—of both unions to friend of mine in Edinburgh6 who takes an interest in these matters & I will hear how they result. I sowed a quantity of the hybrid seeds myself. I am attending particularly to the germinative powers of such. I find that frequently a large per-centage of these seeds though perfectly developed are nevertheless unfit for germination:7
I have the honour to remain | Sir | Your obedt. servant | John Scott
[Enclosure]
Unions of Normal and Peloric Anthirrhinums
Comparative fertility
of the pure & cross
unions
Number Number of Total Average of Number of Number pure- cross-
of flowers capsules number seeds per capsules of seeds unions unions
fertilised produced of seeds capsule 1. Normal Anthirrhinum 10. 10. 1264. 126. 20. 2528. 1000. ” by own pollen 2. Normal Anthirrhinum 10. 8. 908. 113. 20. 2270. ” 897. by pollen of Peloric Anthirrhinum (P. No. 1) 3. Normal Anthirrhinum 10. 10. 1097. 110. 20. 2194. ” 867. by pollen of Peloric Anthirrhinum (P. No. 2) 4. Peloric Anthirrhinum 10. 10. 1334. 133. 20. 2668. ” 1055. (P. No. 1) by pollen of Normal Anthirrhinum 5. Peloric Anthirrhinum 10. 10. 1362. 136. 20. 2724. ” 1077. (P. No. 2) by pollen of Normal Anthirrhinum 6. Peloric Anthirrhinum 24. 0. ” ” ’ ” (P. No. 1) by own pollen 7. Peloric Anthirrhinum 24. 0. ” ” ’ ” (P. No. 2) by own pollen 8. Peloric Anthirrhinum 12. 0. ” ” ’ ” (P. No. 1) by pollen Peloric Anthirrhinum (P. No. 2) 9. Peloric Anthirrhinum 12. 0. ” ” ” ” (P. No. 2) by pollen Peloric Anthirrhinum (P. No. 1)
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Collected papers: The collected papers of Charles Darwin. Edited by Paul H. Barrett. 2 vols. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 1977.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Forms of flowers: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1877.
Summary
Sends Passiflora paper [see 4485].
Sends seeds of peloric Antirrhinum crossed by normal form and sends results of his experiments [table of crosses].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4526
- From
- John Scott
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Denholm
- Source of text
- DAR 51: B22; DAR 177: 109
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp encl
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4526,” accessed on 7 June 2023, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4526.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12
