290 BOTANY [Chap. X 



Letter 617 experiments on absorption of poison by roots, but where to 

 find them I cannot guess. Possibly the all-knowing Oliver 

 may know. I can plainly see that the glands of Drosera, from 

 rapid power (almost instantaneous) of absorption and power of 

 movement, give enormous advantage for such experiments. 

 And some day I will enjoy myself with a good set to work ; 

 but it will be a great advantage if I can get some preliminary 

 notion on other sensitive plants and on roots. 



Oliver said he would speak about some seeds of LytJirum 

 hyssopifolium being preserved for me. By the way, I am 

 rather disgusted to find I cannot publish this year on Ly thrum 

 salicaria ; I must make 1 26 additional crosses. All that I 

 expected is true, but I have plain indication of much higher 

 complexity. There are three pistils of different structure and 

 functional power, and I strongly suspect altogether five kinds 

 of pollen * all different in this one species ! 



By any chance have you at Kew any odd varieties of 

 the common potato ? I want to grow a few plants of every 

 variety, to compare flowers, leaves, fruit, etc., as I have done 

 with peas, etc. 2 



Letter 6l8 J. D. Hooker to C. Darwin. 



The following is part of Letter 144, Vol. I., p. 209. It refers to reviews 

 of Fertilisation of Orchids in the Gardeners^ Chronicle, 1862, pp. 789, 863, 

 910, and in the Natural History Review, Oct., 1862, p. 371. 



Nov. 7th, 1862. 

 Dear old Darwin, 



I assure you it was not my fault ! I worried Lindley over 

 and over again to notice your orchid book in the Chronicle* 

 by the very broadest hints man could give. At last he said, 

 " really I cannot, you must do it for me," and so I did — 

 volontiers. Lindley felt that he ought to have done it himself, 

 and my main effort was to write it "a la Lindley," and in this 

 alone I have succeeded — that people all think it is exactly 

 Lindley's style ! ! ! which diverts me vastly. The fact is, 

 between ourselves, I fear that poor L. is breaking up — he 



1 See Forms of Flowers, Ed. II., p. 138. 



3 Animals and Plants, Ed. It., Vol. I., p. 346. Compare also the 

 similar facts with regard to cabbages, loc. cit., p. 342. Some of the 

 original specimens are in the Botanical Museum at Cambridge. 



3 See Life and Letters, III., p. 273. 



