skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

From A. S. Wilson   21 February 1878

North Kinmundy, | Summerhill, | by Aberdeen.

21 Feby. 1878.

Charles Darwin, Esq. F.R.S. LSD. | Down | Beckenham, | Kent.

Sir,

I take the liberty of sending you the accompanying little curiosity, hoping for it the honour of a place in your museum. Some of my plant⁠⟨⁠s⁠⟩⁠ of AEgilops have stood the present winter here, under very severe frosts, withou⁠⟨⁠t⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠the⁠⟩⁠ least harm, and wi⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠1 or 2 words⁠⟩⁠ earlier at maturity t⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠1 or 2 words⁠⟩⁠ crop of last season.1 I cannot say that I have detected any variation in my first crop from the seed sown. Part of the seeds I decorticated before planting, and part I planted in the husk. The decorticated seeds grew best; the husk being so strong that the radicles cannot not penetrate through it, ⁠⟨⁠an⁠⟩⁠d have to search about for any outlet. Some of the decorti⁠⟨⁠ca⁠⟩⁠ted seeds threw up between 30 & 40 stalks— Three or four ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ plants were not fully ex⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ted last year, and will pro⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ a second crop this season; ⁠⟨⁠1 or 2 words⁠⟩⁠ is quite common with ⁠⟨⁠1 or 2 words⁠⟩⁠ barley— A few of the nodes, even where many ears have ripened on the stock, keep buds alive through the winter, which then throw out roots for themselves, the original root being dead—

I am Sir, | your obedient Servant, | A Stephen Wilson

Footnotes

Wilson sent a specimen of Aegilops flour; see letter to A. S. Wilson, 23 February 1878. Aegilops is the genus of goatgrass.

Summary

On crossing Aegilops.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-11370
From
Alexander Stephen Wilson
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Summerhill, Aberdeen
Source of text
DAR 181: 111
Physical description
ALS 3pp damaged

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11370,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11370.xml

letter