Dear Sir

I am much obliged for your kind letter of the 6th and enquiries about my health which is not much to boast of.² There have been endless delays (not worth explaining) about my letter to Mr. Farrer; but it is now despatched to Sir J. Hooker and if he gives his formal approval; both letters will be taken charge of by Messrs Farrer & Caird; and they will determine what to do.³ They think it would be less trouble to get up a subscription from a few rich leading agriculturists than from Government. This plan I think you cannot object to, as you have asked nothing and will have nothing whatever to do with the subscription. In fact the affair is in my opinion a compliment to you. Mr. Farrer has urged me to give 2 or 3 sentences in my letter explaining your plan, which I have done; but whether I have done so quite correctly I know not, for I had not your printed letter by me.⁴ Anyhow I feel pretty sure that the plan which I have assumed that you are following is the wisest one. There is one point in your letter of the 6th, about which I hope that you will allow me to disagree with you. You speak of Agriculturalists cultivating as crops a continued succession of new varieties. Now it is of great importance that all the potatoes in the same field or bed should belong to exactly the same variety so as to be of the same quality and to be mature at the same time. This would be impossible with varieties raised from seed.

In the course of centuries by long-continued selection varieties might perhaps be raised which would come true by seed like the varieties of the cabbage &c. But for years, such a hope would be as Utopian as to stock an orchard by sowing apple-seeds.⁵ I look at it as indispensible that a fungus-proof or nearly fungus-proof var. of the potato should be raised, and this var. then propagated in common way by the tubers. Any other plan I must look at as hopeless. Whenever I can get a copy of my letter made on its return from Sir J. Hooker, I will send it you, and I need then say nothing about it. I am tired and can write no more.

Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin