From Hugo de Vries 15 October 1881
Amsterdam
15 Oct 81.
Dear Sir
I have been very much interested by your Volume on the formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms, which you had the great kindness of sending me.1 I had often observed the freqent occurrence of these worms and their castings, and was acquainted with an account of von Hensen’s paper,2 but had not the least suspicion of the prominent part, worms have taken in the formation of the vegetable mould, as I learn from your observations. After reading the first chapters of your book, I have been attending to the habits of worms, and had the good fortune of repeating some of your interesting observations, but it seems that time and wheather are not now favourable to these experiments.
For some time I have been studying the causes of the variations of plants, as described in your Treatise on the variations of animals and plants under domestication,3 and have endeavoured to collect some more facts on this theme. In your Origin of Species you have promised a Volume on the variations of animals and plants in the wild state and I very much hope that some day you will have the kindness of fulfilling this promise and of making us acquainted with the results of your investigations on this most interesting subject.4 I have always been especially interested in your hypothesis of Pangenesis, and have collected a series of facts in favour of it, but I am sure, that your promised publications will contain much more evidence on all such points, as I would for many years be able to collect.5
With many thanks for your kind present. | Yours sincerely | Hugo de Vries.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Hensen, Victor. 1877. Die Thätigkeit des Regenwurms (Lumbricus terrestris L.) für die Fruchtbarkeit des Erdbodens. Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie 28: 354–64.
Variation 2d ed.: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Thanks for Earthworms.
HdeV is studying the causes of variation in plants and is very interested in Pangenesis.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13402
- From
- Hugo de Vries
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Amsterdam
- Source of text
- DAR 180: 26
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13402,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13402.xml