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Darwin Correspondence Project

To W. E. Darwin   23 January [1872]1

Down

Jan. 23

My dear W.

Many thanks.— I will wait till after Dividend & chance it.— It will put off bother & it is always pleasant to receive a good dividend.—2

Amy Ruck has sent me some good observations on the fine soil on old ploughed land, being everywhere 212 thick on top of slope & 412 at base of slope.3 And another case of ridges & furrows running down a slope, which were almost obliterated at the base.—

The late storms of wind & rain I see have had great power on the recent castings on our nearly flat field— I saw scores presenting a section, thus

diagram

Yours affecty. | C. Darwin

Look, to old ridges on Southampton Common near you, on left going to Southampton 14 or 12 mile beyond the Turnpike.

Footnotes

The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Amy Ruck to Horace Darwin, [20 January 1872].
The letter from William containing advice on an investment to which this letter is evidently a reply has not been found.

Summary

Discusses earthworm activity observed in old ploughed fields.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8174
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
William Erasmus Darwin
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Natural History Museum, Library and Archives (General Special Collections MSS DAR 34)
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8174,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8174.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20

letter