Summary

Offers to give CGS a writing machine.

Summary

Chlorophyll development in oat seedling.

Lists the sleeping plants he has seen.

Julius Sachs thinks Hugo de Vries has not cleared up everything [about climbing plants]. But Sachs has not worked on the mechanical problem.

Summary

Describes sleep movements in Porlieria and his experiments on movements of radicles.

Thalia flowers have interesting mechanism to ensure cross-fertilisation.

Summary

Pleased CGS will accept machine.

Summary

Comments on function of bloom.

Describes the effect of water shortage on sleep movements in Porlieria.

Summary

He has had no success with horse or Spanish chestnuts.

Summary

Thanks for sending Nature; plans to leave on 22 May; anecdote about Bernard.

Summary

Thanks for his translation of [Anton] Kerner [Flowers and their unbidden guests: the translation revised and edited by W. Ogle (1878)].

Summary

Julius von Sachs’s views on stomata seem largely correct, but CD cannot understand how leaves can survive submerged for such long periods.

Has been observing Drosera and concludes that none of the movement of the tentacles is caused by growth.

Suggests observations to show role of pulvinus in leaf movement.

Summary

Notes Julius Sachs’s opinion on the heliotropism of moulds: he can see no use in the response.

C. E. Stahl is working on swarm spores which can be made both helio- and apheliotropic.

Sachs has told him that some ferns sleep, and he suspects that some grasses may move.

Sachs also feels they may be working at bloom from a wrong point of view and suggests leaves may need to keep dry in order to keep their stomata open.

Summary

Writing on vegetable physiology.

Nothing in CD’s life has ever interested him more than the fertilisation of such plants as Primula and Lythrum.

Summary

Sends Ledum, the nectar of which catches many insects.

Describes his Primula varieties.

Summary

Sachs jumps to the conclusion twiners and tendrils are similar from the Menispermum that twined without a stick. Akebia grows down a stick; not only the free end is involved.

Sleeping plants.

Summary

Will publish Origin first

and then Descent.

AS is looking for a job in a zoological museum or accompanying an expedition.

Summary

Asks for list of families of sleeping plants. Believes sleep is merely modified circumnutation at a particular time of day.

Porlieria has had no water for some time but shows no sign of flagging.

Describes the response of Thalia flowers to touch.

Summary

Discusses animal intelligence.

Advises GJR on acquiring monkey.

Sends book by Delboeuf [La psychologie (1876)].

Summary

Is forwarding the writing machine to Carl Semper.

Is glad FD has taken up his old friends, the twiners.

Hopes to get heliotropic aerial roots from J. D. Hooker. Asks FD to find out whether any moulds or roots are apheliotropic. Is puzzled by heliotropism in subterranean roots.

Summary

CD gives his opinion on how the physiological laboratory at Kew should be equipped. It would be a pity if the laboratory were not supplied with as many good instruments as their funds could provide.

Summary

AG’s review of Joseph Cook ["Lectures on biology", New Englander 37: 100–13].

Encourages CD to work at heliotropism.

Thinks Thomas Meehan is as "rattle-brained" as Joseph Cook.

[A damaged fragment cut from this letter is pinned to 11051.]

Summary

Thanks for specimen of Aegilops flour.

Comments on ASW’s papers.

Cites paper by Wilhelm Rimpau on self- and cross-fertilisation in wheat ["Die Züchtung neuer Getreide-Varietäten", Landwirtsch. Jahrb. 6