Summary

Starts tomorrow for visit to Farrer and Effie [Euphemia Farrer, daughter of Hensleigh Wedgwood]. Has not done such a feat [i.e., staying as a guest of someone outside the immediate family?] for 25 years.

Has been half killing himself with Drosera.

Summary

Asks JDH why so many plants are protected by a thin layer of waxy matter or with fine hairs.

Wrote to John Smith for a plant of Oxalis sensitiva, but it has not acted well.

Rejoices over Ayrton’s retirement. Hopes W. P. Adam, his successor, is a good sort of man.

Summary

Has observed CD’s points. Except for leaves of Nelumbium, would have supposed both wax and hairs were connected with absorption or respiratory functions. May subserve some function connected with rays of sun. Watering most prejudicial in the hot sun: a splendid subject for experiments.

Adam is a good man.

Summary

Asks JDH to inquire of gardeners at Kew what they think about injury to plants from watering during sunshine. Wishes to experiment. He is already convinced that drops of water do not act as burning lenses.

Summary

He and Strachey will arrive on Saturday.

Is aghast at thought of being questioned on injury to plants by watering. Fears he will be considered an ignorant Director of Kew.

Summary

Will arrive at Orpington by usual train.

Summary

Identifies three plants sent by CD.

Summary

Abstracts literature on sensitive plants (Linnaeus, L. P. Cailletet, W. R. McNab).

The Mimosa at Down is M. pudica.

Dichogamy in Eucalyptus difficult to decide, but Thiselton-Dyer thinks there is some protandry.

[Letter is in W. T. Thiselton-Dyer’s hand.]

Summary

Thanks JDH and Thiselton-Dyer for useful information.

Is surprised Mimosa albida is not sensitive to water. Asks that they try again, or lend it to him.

Remembers a walk in Brazil in great bed of Mimosa.

After JDH left, CD was very bad, with much loss of memory and severe shocks continually passing through his brain.

Summary

Is sending specimens of Eucalyptus;

goes tomorrow to receive LL.D. [Glasgow].

Summary

Mimosa too far gone to send now.

CD’s marjoram is the common [Origanum] vulgare, not the pot herb.

On the water injury, Thiselton-Dyer and he may have used too fine a spray, but plant is insensitive.

Horribly angry at P. G. Tait’s letter in Nature [8 (1873): 381–2].

Tyndall writes that he is strong – the next number of Nature will prove it.

G. Henslow is much better.

JDH leaves for Bradford [BAAS meeting] tomorrow.

Rejoices at CD’s success with Drosera; longs to be at Nepenthes.

Summary

Obliged for information on Mimosa albida; if a vigorous plant behaves as JDH says, CD’s notions are all knocked on the head.

Anxious to read Tyndall’s answer to Tait [Nature 8 (1873): 399].

Drosera story too long for his strength. Essentially the leaves act just like stomach of an animal.

Burdon Sanderson will give some grand facts at BAAS about Dionaea.

Offers to help JDH with Nepenthes experiments. Finds experimental work always takes twice as much time as anticipated.

Summary

Thanks for C. E. Norton’s address.

Tyndall’s answer [Nature 8 (1873): 399] has surprised and disappointed him;

great trouble in announcing Tyndall’s election as President Elect [of BAAS] yesterday. Tyndall may throw up the Presidency. Spottiswoode and JDH have concocted a letter telling him the facts.

A very poor dull meeting. Comments on papers by W. C. Williamson, Clerk Maxwell, David Ferrier, Burdon Sanderson [Rep. BAAS 43: lxx–xci, 23–32,126–7, 131–3].

Has heard Huxley is back quite well.

Summary

Had read Tyndall’s letter [Nature 8 (1873): 399] – awfully savage, but certainly a great mistake to print it.

Thinks JDH will think better of Clerk Maxwell’s paper after he reads it.

Asks whether JDH could find out for him the temperature of rain in very hot countries.

Summary

Mimosa prostrata, described by John Lindley as M. marginata, native of Brazil.

Who supplies CD with distilled water and chemicals?

Summary

Hopes to get another species of Desmodium from Mr Rollisson.

Summary

Describes work on Nepenthes – more difficult than Drosera.

Has written to Dublin for a Drosophyllum.

Summary

Lists plants in which he is interested, including Neptunia and Mimosa species.

Do any strictly tropical plants have glaucous leaves?

Asks for observations on irritable plants.

Summary

Neptunia is evidently a hopeless case.

Good news that fluid of Nepenthes is acid.

No discovery ever gave him more pleasure than proving a true act of digestion in Drosera.

Has become profoundly interested in Desmodium. Asks whether Frank [Darwin] can look over the whole dried collection of the genus.

Has JDH any seed of Lathyrus nissolia?

Summary

Suggests experiments to try [with Nepenthes].

Asks JDH to test whether cabbage seeds and peas exposed to the ferment germinate.

Cancel: same as 9523.