Ɛpsilon

To Fritz Müller   13 November 1881

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)

November 13th 1881

My dear Sir

I received a few days ago a small box (registered) containing dried flower-heads with brown seeds somewhat sculptured on their sides. There was no name, & I shd. be much obliged if some time you would tell me what these seeds are.1 I have planted them.—

I sent you some time ago my little book on Earth-worms, which, though of no importance has been largely read in England.—2

I have little or nothing to tell you about myself. I have for a couple of months been observing the effect of Carbonate of Ammonia on Chlorophyll & on the roots of certain plants; but the subject is too difficult for me & I cannot understand the meaning of some strange facts which I have observed.3 The mere recording new facts is but dull work.—

Prof. Wiesner has published a book, giving a different explanation to almost every fact which I have given in my Power of Movement in Plants.—4 I am glad to say that he admits that almost all my statements are true. I am convinced that many of his interpretations of the facts are wrong, & I am glad to hear that Professor Pfeffer is of the same opinion;5 but I believe that he is right & I wrong on some points. I have not the courage to retry all my experiments; but I hope to get my son Francis6 to try some fresh ones to test Wiesners explanations.— But I do not know why I have troubled you with all this.—

My dear Sir | yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin

1
The seeds were probably Mimosa pudica (shame plant; see Correspondence vol. 30, letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882). Müller’s most recent letter, of 29 October 1881, mentions sending leaves relevant to the study of bloom, but not seeds; however, it is incomplete.
2
Müller’s name is on CD’s presentation list for Earthworms (see Appendix IV).
3
On CD’s recent experiments on effects of carbonate of ammonia on roots in Euphorbia (spurge), see the letter to Francis Darwin, 28 [October 1881] and n. 12; on the action of carbonate of ammonia on chlorophyll, see the letter to J. D. Hooker, 22 October 1881 and n. 4.
4
Julius Wiesner had written a critical response to Movement in plants (Wiesner 1881; see also letter from Julius Wiesner, 11 November 1881).
5
Wilhelm Pfeffer had criticised Wiesner in his letter of 6 November 1881.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added
2.2 read] above del ‘read’
3.1 have for] ‘have’ above del ‘have’
3.2 observing] above del ‘observing’
4.6 all] above del ‘all’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13481,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13481