To J. D. Hooker 19 August 1873
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. [Bassett, Southampton.]
Aug 19th 1873
My dear Hooker
The next time you walk round the garden ask Mr Smith1 or any of yr best men what they think about injury from watering during Sunshine.
One of yr men viz Mr Payne at Abinger, who seems very acute, declares that you may water safely any plant out of doors in sunshine, & that you may do the same for plants under glass, if the sashes are opened.2 This seems to me very odd, but he seems positive on the point; & acts on it in raising splendid grapes. Another good gardener maintains that it is only cold water dripping often on the same point of a leaf that ever injures it.. I am utterly perplexed, but interested on the point. Give me what you learn when you come to Down3
yours affectly | Ch. Darwin
I shd like to hear what plants are believed to be most injured by being watered in sunshine, so that I might get such. I expect that I shall be utterly beaten, as on so many other points; but I intend to make a few experiments & observations.— I have already convinced myself that drops of water do not act as burning lenses.
Footnotes
Summary
Asks JDH to inquire of gardeners at Kew what they think about injury to plants from watering during sunshine. Wishes to experiment. He is already convinced that drops of water do not act as burning lenses.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9017
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Bassett Down letterhead
- Source of text
- DAR 94: 272–3
- Physical description
- LS(A) 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9017,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9017.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21