To William Kemp   [14 October 1843]¹

Dear Sir

I have heard from Prof. Henslow, who expresses a doubt, whether some of the seeds may not have been contained in the soil, in which you planted the seeds from the sand-pit.—³ In the case of the Atriplex, I think, the circumstance of the same strange form having come up from the seeds planted by you & at the Hort. Soc. shows that there could have been no mistake in this case.⁴ But will you be so good, as to inform me, whether you took any precaution against this source of error.—

I am very sorry to say that Prof. Henslow, now suspects that the Atriplex is merely a variety of the common A. patula. ⁵   in this case, I fear, no editor would wish to insert more than a brief notice of the germination of seeds buried at the depth &c &c under which you found them. But we had better pause and hear what the Botanists determine. I will send a specimen to M^r Babington, who is an accurate discriminator of British species & hear what he says.⁶

Believe me | Yours very faithfully | C. Darwin