Ɛpsilon

To F. T. Buckland   29 February [1868]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

Feb. 29th

My dear Sir

Many thanks for your kind note & various pieces of information.— I will write to Mr Bush about the Rats.—2 In relation to the fecundation of ova, you may perhaps like to hear that I tried with much care on rather large scale the effect of very little pollen & an immense supply—& there was no difference in the number or weight of the seed, or in their germination.— With all plants more than one grain, generally 10–40 are requisite for fertilisation.—3 I return the enclosed, which I have been glad to see, but it must, I shd. think, be charlantanry.—4

I already possess a pamphlet entitled “La Loi de Production des Sexes, par M. Thury”.—5

With many thanks, My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from F. T. Buckland, 27 February 1868.
3
CD refers to experiments performed with Ipomoea purpurea. See Correspondence vol. 15, letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 March [1867] and n. 7, and Cross and self fertilisation, pp. 24–5.
4
The item Buckland sent has not been identified.
5
See letter from F. T. Buckland, 27 February 1868 and n. 4. CD refers to Thury 1863; his copy is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.6 the enclosed] ‘the’ interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5956,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5956