To Francis Darwin [before 5 June 1879]1
My dear F.
I begin to think that I shall prove that tip of radicle is its brain, as far as geotropism is concerned.—2 I touched 4 tips with lunar caustic3 so as blacken only for to of m.m.— They grew in length during 24 hrs 9 mm.. Now only 1 of the 4 became at all curved in the 24 h.— There were 4 other radicles in your jar, to which nothing had been done, & of these 3 after 24hrs. pointed vertically downwards & one for some unknown reason was not acted on.— I showed George4 the jar & the contrast between the 4 which had been touched with L. Caustic & 4 which had not been touched, he thought most striking.
C. D.
I must try & retry many more radicles.—
Footnotes
Summary
Believes that he will prove that the tip of radicle is the brain as far as geotropism is concerned.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12084
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Francis Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 211: 53
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12084,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12084.xml