To Edward Cresy 29 April [1853]1
Down, Farnborough, Kent,
April 29th.
My dear Sir,
I am uncommonly much obliged to you for your note which has been of the greatest use to me. From what you say, I will try the siphon plan, with 1 inch pipe, which was just what I wanted to know. What you say about a good pump being required to fill the siphon, has made me think of my hydropathic Douche Pump (not now used)2 which is a three inch lift pump and stands just in the right place. I will try a union joint (as you suggest) but at only one end, and will, when filled, plug it up, lower it in the tank to be filled, and then by a string and stick pull out the plug.
I am also very grateful for suggestion about the 9 inch ribs of Brickwork which shall be done. In your section, I see that the extra and upper half-brick work does not bond with the lower half-brick, and I suppose this is intentional, for Mr. Lastell3 told me before, that in strengthening a dome all over, the upper course was only cemented on the lower, not bonded into it. If I understand your section wrong, perhaps you will send me a line: if I do not hear, I shall understand that I am right.
The only point on which I am doubtful is the kind of hose: it will be seldom used, and I will call on Burgess & Key4 and see what they say about their canvas hose coated & lined for the douche, and used for watering gardens with pure water or liquid manure. This is only 9d per foot, 1 inch bore. I shd. grudge much more expense for my plan.
I hope sometime in the course of the summer (part of which however we shall be away)5 to persuade you to pay me a visit for a day or two.
With very many thanks for your valuable advice, | Sincerely yours, | C. Darwin.
At the same time I wrote to you I sent the same question to the Gardeners’ Chronicle6 but it now turns out through your kindness quite superfluously.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Post Office London directory: Post-Office annual directory. … A list of the principal merchants, traders of eminence, &c. in the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent … general and special information relating to the Post Office. Post Office London directory. London: His Majesty’s Postmaster-General [and others]. 1802–1967.
Summary
Discusses installation of watering system. Sent question to Gardeners’ Chronicle but, through EC’s kindness, superfluously.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1677
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Edward Cresy, Jr
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 143: 310
- Physical description
- C 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1677,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1677.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5