To William and Julius Fairbeard1 [October 1855 – May 1856]2
Sir
I hope that you will excuse the liberty I take in addressing you.— Mr Cattell, from whom I procure the seeds for my garden,3 has told me that I might use his name as an introduction to you, & that he thinks you wd be so very kind as take the trouble to answer me a few questions.— I devote all my time to Nat. History; & am employed on a work on the Variation of species chiefly of animals, but am very anxious to illustrate it, by cases drawn from plants.— I have this past summer planted a few Peas of as many kinds as I cd procure,4 to see the amount of their difference & I know that you have raised several new kinds, & I am extremely anxious to obtain a little information on a few points, & I have thought that perhaps, you could find a leisure some time eveg. & would be so very kind, & take the trouble to confer a great favour on me, though a stranger by answering as far as lies in power these included questions—
I am well aware that I here cannot apologise for thus intruding on you, & hoping that you will excuse me I remain, Sir | Your obliged servant | Charles Darwin | F.R.S.5 diag Peas (2) Whether any vars. have kept true during many years: some of Knights6
varieties must be old, but have you reason to believe that they have not
altered their character.— (1) Whether to get seed true it is necessary to raise the different varieties
separately, (as in the case of cabbages)—& if you grow different [kinds
near by] in masses adjoining each other whether you have ever suspected
that those rows adjoining another variety come less true, than rows than in
middle of the bed. (4) Whether in selecting any new variety, whether at first very many come false
& whether after several successive generations or sowings they come more &
more true, or on other hand whether the degree of variability keeps much the
same. (3) Whether there is more difference in the variability in the
different kinds of Peas. ie whether you have found some new kinds more
difficult to get true than other kinds.7 ramme W. & J. Fairbeard Teynham | Sittingbourne. Kent
Footnotes
Bibliography
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1978. Charles Darwin: a companion. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Natural selection: Charles Darwin’s Natural selection: being the second part of his big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1975.
Post Office directory of the six home counties: Post Office directory of the six home counties, viz., Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. London: W. Kelly & Co. 1845–78.
Summary
Five questions on variability in peas.
W & JF recommended to CD by Mr Cattell.
CD planted an experimental pea garden this summer.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1467
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William & Julius Fairbeard
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 206: 38
- Physical description
- ADraftS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1467,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1467.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5