To James Torbitt   27 December 1879

Down,

Dec. 27, 1879.

My dear Sir

I am glad to hear about the Vines, but it will take some years before any one can feel secure about the new varieties. Nevertheless there would be a better chance with the Vine than with the Potato, as other closely allied American species are phylloxera free.1

I trust that you may be able to continue your admirable potato work, even if you do not receive Government aid. I have heard nothing: I know that Mr. Farrer has had two communications with Ld. Sandon on the subject; I heard from two officials that he is one of those men who cannot make up their minds what to do.2 It is enough to sicken one to see how politicians waste their time in squabbling and neglect doing any good.

Copy incomplete

1
See letter from James Torbitt, 25 December 1879 and n. 1. Torbitt had announced that he had received a phylloxera-resistant vine from Portugal.
2
CD had been trying to secure government aid for Torbitt in his work on breeding blight-resistant potatoes. Thomas Henry Farrer had offered to lay the case before Dudley Francis Stuart Ryder, Viscount Sandon (see letter to James Torbitt, 17 November 1879). The officials have not been identified.
3
A note at the end of the copy reads, ‘the rest of this letter is cut away’.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12372,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12372