Summary

Illness of his wife.

Potato crossing experiments; believes he has increased yield considerably.

Summary

What should CD do with the geese? One gander chases and frightens his grandchild. Does FBG intend to publish his results?

Summary

Observations on maize.

Summary

Would like CD to write a paper on the results of geese experiments; hopes CD will not object to his doing the same despite the variance of their conclusions [see F. B. Goodacre, "Question of identity of Chinese and domestic goose", Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1879): 710–12 and CD’s "Fertility of hybrids from the Chinese and common goose", Collected papers 2: 219–20].

Summary

Forwards newspaper reports by growers of Torbitt’s potatoes. Torbitt is in much distress and CD fears all his work will be thrown away unless he is aided.

Summary

Cattle and sheep varieties removed from their native soils degenerate rapidly.

Summary

GH no longer believes in the value of cross-fertilisation in plants.

Summary

Reports the results of breeding from FBG’s hybrid geese. The hybrids are fertile inter se. Would FBG like the geese back? If CD publishes his observations may he use FBG’s results?

Summary

Were the hybrid geese FBG sent to CD brother and sister from the same hatch? CD intends to send a letter on their breeding to Nature [Collected papers 2: 219–20].

Summary

Success of his experiments; report on recent work.

Summary

Crossbreeding experiments with geese.

Summary

Relates case of selective immunity to rinderpest.

Summary

Has had an account of his experiments published. Sends CD some specimens of seedlings and tubers.

Summary

Disagrees with GH over the value of cross-fertilisation.

Summary

Congratulations on Erasmus Darwin; likes CD’s part better than Ernst Krause’s.

Received false notice of Asa Gray’s death.

Gray and JDH engaged in comparing widely separated but floristically similar regions.

Summary

Intends to get his ideas on the "wearing out" of varieties printed.

This year’s crosses were failures.

Summary

Questions CD on the possibility of selecting disease-resisting potatoes to produce ultimately a disease-resistant variety.

Summary

Describes one of his varieties of potato in its third and fourth years. [CD notes his observations on this variety grown at Down, July 1879.]

Summary

Read GA’s book [The colour-sense] with "great interest". Makes criticisms and suggestions.

Cannot believe in GA’s theory of the origin of pleasure and pain.

Is glad he defends sexual selection;

CD finds A. R. Wallace’s explanations "mere empty words" and for many years he has "quite doubted [ARW’s] scientific judgment".

Considers the possible effect of environmental colour on the colour tastes of animals.

Summary

Sends copy of his article ["Die Nectarien der Blüthen", Flora 62 (1879): 2–11, 17–27, 49–54, 81–90, 113–23, 145–53, 233–40, 241–7, 305–14, 369–75, 433–8, 449–57].

GWJB’s experiments inspired by reading CD’s botanical works.