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
Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11370,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on