18621871] JOHN SCOTT 329 



points viz. relative fertility of varieties of plants, including Letter 654 

 peloric and other monsters (already Scott has done ex- 

 cellent work on this head) ; and, secondly, whether a plant's 

 own pollen is less effective than that of another individual. 

 Now, if Scott is moderate in his wishes, I would pay him for 

 a year or two to work and publish on these or other such 

 subjects which might arise. But I dare not have him here, 

 for it would quite overwork me. There would not be plants 

 sufficient for his work, and it would probably be an injury to 

 himself, as it would put him out of the way of getting a good 

 situation. Now, I believe you have gardeners at Kew who 

 work and learn there without pay. What do you think of 

 having Scott there for a year or two to work and experiment ? 

 I can see enormous difficulties. In the first place you will 

 not perhaps think the points indicated so highly important as 

 I do. Secondly, he would require ground in some out-of-the- 

 way place where the plants could be covered by a net, which 

 would be unsightly. On the other hand, I presume you would 

 like a series of memoirs published on work done at Kew, 

 which I am fully convinced would have permanent value. It 

 would, of course I conceive, be absolutely necessary that Scott 

 should be under the regular orders of the superintendent 

 The only way I can fancy that it could be done would be to 

 explain to the superintendent that I temporarily supported 

 Scott solely for the sake of science, and appeal to his kind- 

 ness to assist him. If you approved of having him (which I 

 can see is improbable), and you simply ordered the super- 

 intendent to assist him, I believe everything would go to 

 loggerheads. As for Scott himself, it would be of course 

 an advantage to him to study the cultivation at Kew. You 

 would get to know him, and if he really is a good man you 

 could perhaps be able to recommend him to some situation 

 at home or abroad. Pray turn this [over] in your mind. I 

 have no idea whether Scott would like the place, but I can 

 see that he has a burning zeal for science. He told me that 

 his parents were in better circumstances, and that he chose a 

 gardener's life solely as the best way of following science. I 

 may just add that in his last letter he gives me the results 

 of many experiments on different individuals of the same 

 species of orchid, showing the most remarkable diversity in 

 their sexual condition. It seems to me a grievous loss that 



