i868 i88i] RUSSIAN WHEAT 421 



To A. Stephen Wilson. Letter 751 



Basset, Southampton, April 29th [1878]. 



Your kind note and specimens have been forwarded to 

 me here, where I am staying at my son's house for a fortnight's 

 complete rest, which I required from rather too hard work. 

 For this reason I will not now examine the seeds, but will 

 wait till returning home, when, with my son Francis' aid, I 

 will look to them. 



I always felt, though without any good reason, rather 

 sceptical about Prof. Buckman's experiment, and I afterwards 

 heard that a most wicked and cruel trick had been played 

 on him by some of the agricultural students at Cirencester, 

 who had sown seeds unknown to him in his experimental 

 beds. Whether he ever knew this I did not hear. 



I am exceedingly glad that you are willing to look into 

 the Russian wheat case. It may turn out a mare's nest, but 

 I have often incidentally observed curious facts when making 

 what I call "a fool's experiment." 



To A. Stephen Wilson. Letter 752 



Down, March 5th, 1879. 



I have just returned home after an absence of a week, 

 and your letter was not forwarded to me ; I mention this to 

 account for my apparent discourtesy in not having sooner 

 thanked you. You have worked out the subject with admir- 

 able care and clearness, and your drawings are beautiful. I 

 suspected that there was some error in the Russian belief, 

 but I did not think of the explanation which you have 

 almost proved to be the true one. It is an extremely inter- 

 esting instance of a more fertile variety beating out a less 

 fertile one, and, in this case, one much more valuable to man. 

 With respect to publication, I am at a loss to advise you, for 

 I live a secluded life and do not see many periodicals, or hear 

 what is done at the various societies. It seems to me that 

 your paper should be published in some agricultural journal ; 

 for it is not simply scientific, and \vould therefore not be 

 published by the Linnean or Royal Societies. 



Would the Royal Agricultural Society be a fitting place ? 

 Unfortunately I am not a member, and could not myself 

 present it. Unless you think of some better journal, there 



