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Darwin Correspondence Project

From George Edward Frere   8 October 1864

Roydon Hall. Diss.

October 8. | 1864

Charles Darwin Esq

Sir

I note your Request in Gard Chron p. 965.1

You probably have Access to the Work to which I refer, but lest it should be otherwise I send you the Extracts on the other Half sheet.—

I think I have a Book of old Bradley2 somewhere in which he is likely to have said something on the Subject— If I find him I will let you hear—

I am | Your obt. Servant | Geo: E. Frere.

Gerarde–Herbal (my Edition is “London 1597”)

“It is sowen in the Spring, especially in the Midst of Aprill, but not before: the Fruite is ripe about the End of Sommer.”3

The Gardener’s Kalendar &c

The seventh Edition

By Philip Miller, Gardener to the worshipful Company of Apothecaries, at their Botanical Garden in Chelsea, and F.R.S.—

London printed for J. Rivington 1745.4

p. 50. Feb. Plant some Kidney Beans upon a moderate Hotbed for an early crop.

p. 81. March. Towards the latter End of this Month you may put in some Kidney Beans in warm Borders, where they may be defended from Cold.

p. 104 April Plant Kidney Beans the Beginning of the Month in a warm Situation and in dry Weather, for Wet will destroy the Seeds in the Ground.

p. 132 May Plant Kidney Beans for a second Crop.

137 May Toward the latter End of the Month a latter Crop of Kidney Beans should be planted, to succeed those before directed.

p. 165 June. Plant Kidney Beans to succeed those which were planted in April.

p. 189 July. The Beginning of this Month sow the last Crop of Kidney Beans where they may be defended from morning Frosts in Autumn.

Footnotes

See letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [before 8 October 1864].
The reference is to the botanist Richard Bradley, who published a number of works on agriculture and horticulture between 1717 and 1732 (see DSB and R. Desmond 1994).
Frere refers to John Gerard’s directions for sowing kidney beans in the first edition of The Herball Or Generall Historie of Plantes (Gerard 1597, p. 1041).
The reference is to Miller 1745.

Bibliography

Desmond, Ray. 1994. Dictionary of British and Irish botanists and horticulturists including plant collectors, flower painters and garden designers. New edition, revised with the assistance of Christine Ellwood. London: Taylor & Francis and the Natural History Museum. Bristol, Pa.: Taylor & Francis.

DSB: Dictionary of scientific biography. Edited by Charles Coulston Gillispie and Frederic L. Holmes. 18 vols. including index and supplements. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1970–90.

Gerard, John. 1597. The Herball, or, Generall historie of plantes. London: John Norton.

Miller, Philip. 1745. The gardeners kalendar, directing what works are necessary to be done every month in the kitchen, fruit and pleasure-gardens, and in the conservatory. 7th edition. London: J. Rivington.

Summary

Responds to the letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [before 8 October 1864].

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-4631G
From
George Edward Frere
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Source of text
DAR 271.6: 2

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4631G,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4631G.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12

letter