To John Scott 8 January [1863]
Summary
CD’s respect for JS’s indomitable work and interesting experiments increases steadily.
His gratitude for the primulas and the astonishing Gongora specimen.
Asks JS’s opinion about crossing a primrose with the pollen of a wild cowslip and of a cultivated polyanthus.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 8 Jan [1863] |
Classmark: | Transactions of the Hawick Archæological Society (1908): 67 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3908F |
To John Scott 21 January [1863]
Summary
Urges JS to publish on orchid pollen-tubes.
Suggests comparing stigmatic tissue of sterile hybrids and fertile parent; he would expect hybrid plant’s cell contents not to be coagulated after 24 hours in spirits of wine.
Suggests JS coat orchid stigmas with plaster of Paris for his work on rostellar germination.
Asks for list of "bud-variation" cases; CD has devoted a chapter to the subject.
Inquiries about I. Anderson-Henry’s observational competence.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 21 Jan [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B56–7, B75–6 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3934 |
To John Scott 16 February [1863]
Summary
Tells JS Acropera capsule should be left to grow.
JS was correct on "bud-variation" in fern frond.
Does not believe Primula structure necessarily related to dioecism, but the difference in fertility of the two forms forced him to admit the possibility.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 16 Feb [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B55, B81–2 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3991 |
To John Scott 20 [February 1863]
Summary
Thanks JS for the very large Acropera capsule. CD has perhaps made a blunder about the sex of Acropera.
JS was right that successive homomorphic generations of Primula breed true.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 20 [Feb 1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B20–1 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4003 |
To John Scott 6 March 1863
Summary
Answers JS’s criticism of natural selection, which he doubts JS understands. CD does not believe in an "innate selective principle".
To understand "utility" JS should read CD on correlation.
Origin of maize: no longer thinks husked form was wild because of Asa Gray’s evidence on its variability.
Has information from Thomas Rivers on weeping habit in trees.
JS’s experiments on coloured primroses.
Encloses bibliographical note on Passiflora.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 6 Mar 1863 |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B66–8, B71 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4031 |
To John Scott 24 March [1863]
Summary
Enthusiastic about JS’s work on Passiflora self-incompatibility.
CD quotes JS on rostellar pollen germination [in "Fertilisation of orchids", Collected papers 2: 77–8]. H. Crüger attributes it to ants’ carrying stigmatic secretion to pollen.
Homomorphic cowslip seedlings are, sadly, showing variation.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 24 Mar [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B72–4 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4060 |
To John Scott 12 April [1863]
Summary
Encourages JS to publish on sterility of orchids and to experiment on Passiflora.
Doubted Hooker’s poppy case.
Describes case of primrose with three pistils: when pulled apart allowed pollen to be placed directly on ovules. This supports JS’s explanation of H. Crüger’s case.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 12 Apr [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B59, B77–8 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4084 |
To John Scott 20 [June 1863]
Summary
Glad to hear of JS’s orchid paper [Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 7 (1863): 543–50].
Suggests experiments on peloria.
Wants to count seed of the self-fertile red cowslip with equal stamens and styles.
Can send account of Hottonia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 20 [June 1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B53–4 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4114 |
To John Scott 2 May [1863]
Summary
Impressed by JS’s attempts to fertilise Gongora.
CD has large collection of notes on orchids, but does not know when he will publish on them again.
Asks for JS’s papers on sterility of individual orchids and on Drosera.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 2 May [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B25–6 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4137 |
To John Scott 23 May [1863]
Summary
Has written to Hooker for his advice about the Darjeeling position. JS should not refuse the position on account of his experiments.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 23 May [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B15–16 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4183 |
To John Scott 25 and 28 May [1863]
Summary
CD does not think he could be wrong about the stigma of Bolbophyllum.
Will not write up Drosera for years.
Praises JS’s experiments. Invites him to send a paper to Linnean Society.
L. C. Treviranus says all species of Primula present two forms except P. longiflora.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 25 and 28 May 1863 |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B41–4 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4185 |
To John Scott 31 May [1863]
Summary
Thanks JS for abstract of orchid sterility paper from Edinburgh Courant. His case of individual sterility will be of highest use to CD. Criticises JS’s writing. Points out weaknesses in the organisation of his argument and the use of inflated, imprecise language.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 31 May [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B47–8 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4197 |
To John Scott 6 June [1863]
Summary
CD has spoken to Hooker of JS’s scientific merit, but has not suggested him for a colonial appointment.
Advice on style of writing.
Making extensive extract of JS’s orchid paper to communicate to Linnean Society [J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 8 (1865): 162–7].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 6 June [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B38–40 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4206 |
To John Scott 11 June [1863]
Summary
Hooker is impressed by JS’s MS on closing of stigma.
He will help find him a position. Hooker says if it is known that JS agrees with CD’s views, he will be unpopular in Edinburgh.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 11 June [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B22–3 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4212 |
To John Scott 2 July [1863]
Summary
CD’s great interest in JS’s work on fertility of Primula crosses.
Thanks for Passiflora trials.
"By no means modify even in slightest degree any result."
CD wishes he had counted rather than weighed Primula seeds.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 2 July [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B79; Linnean Society of London (Quentin Keynes collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4229 |
To John Scott 25 [July 1863]
Summary
Encourages JS to continue work on coloured primrose. No one has noticed this since Gärtner. CD will send his own data for JS’s use and will read MS when ready. Advises JS to repeat experiments if evidence is weak – for his reputation’s sake and for satisfaction at fully establishing a fact.
Treviranus made a slip of pen in writing of Primula longiflora as short-styled.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 25 [July 1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B45–6, B69 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4253 |
To John Scott 1 and 3 August [1863]
Summary
Thanks JS for orchid paper [Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 7 (1863): 543–50]. JS presents excellent new facts on sterility of orchids.
His argument that coloured primroses are not hybrids is good, as is idea of discovering primrose parentage by breeding for colours.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 1 and 3 Aug 1863 |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B24, B27–8, B70; DAR 147: 455 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4260 |
To John Scott 7 November [1863]
Summary
Has read JS’s paper [MS of "Observations on the functions and structure of the reproductive organs in the Primulaceae", J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 8 (1865): 78–126] which has interested him greatly. Will communicate it to the Linnean Society if JS carries out a few corrections.
Would like to hear about his Verbascum and Passiflora experiments.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 7 Nov [1863] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B5–6 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4332 |