416 BOTANY [Chap. XI 



Letter 744 such cases as that of the dioecious Rhamnus and your own 

 of Valeriana to the existence of two forms with larger and 

 smaller flowers. I cannot follow the steps by which such 

 plants have been rendered dioecious, but when I read your 

 article with more care I hope I shall understand. 1 If you have 

 succeeded in explaining this class of cases I shall heartily 

 rejoice, for they utterly perplexed me, and I could not con- 

 jecture what their meaning was. It is a grievous evil to have 

 no faculty for new languages. 



With the most sincere respect and hearty good wishes to 

 you and all your family for the new year 



P.S. — What interesting papers your wonderful brother has 

 lately been writing ! 



Letter 745 To W. Thiselton-Dyer. 



This letter refers to the purchase of instruments for the Jodrell 

 Laboratory in the Royal Gardens, Kew. "The Royal Commission on 

 Scientific Instruction and the Advancement of Science, commonly spoken 

 of as the Devonshire Commission, in its Fourth Report (1874), p. 10, 

 expressed the opinion that 'it is highly desirable that opportunities for 

 the pursuit of investigations in Physiological Botany should be afforded 

 at Kew to those persons who may be inclined to follow that branch of 

 science.' Effect was given to this recommendation by the liberality of 

 the late T. J. Phillips-Jodrell, M.A., who built and equipped the small 

 laboratory, which has since borne his name, at his own expense. It was 

 completed and immediately brought into use in 1876." The above is 

 taken from the Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, R. Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, 1901, p. 102, which also gives a list of work carried out in 

 the laboratory between 1876 and 1900. 



Down, March 14th, 1878. 



I have a very strong opinion that it would be the greatest 

 possible pity if the Physiological] Lab., now that it has been 

 built, were not supplied with as many good instruments as 

 your funds can possibly afford. It is quite possible that some 

 of them may become antiquated before they are much or 

 even at all used. But this does not seem to me any argument 

 at all against getting them, for the Laboratory cannot be 



1 See Forms of Flowers, Ed. 11., pp. 9 and 304. H. Midler's view is 

 briefly that conspicuous and less conspicuous varieties occurred, and that 

 the former were habitually visited first by insects ; thus the less con- 

 spicuous form would play the part of females and their pollen would tend 

 to become superfluous. See H. Miiller in Kosmos, II. 



