RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1878]. Beans / Slicing. CUL-DAR209.5.24-25. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Prepared and edited by John van Wyhe. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR209.5 contains materials for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).


24

1

Slicing

May 25th 78

 The four beans used in the hot water surface exper were  used. One A broken was too curly to be used, three others 10 pm B, C, D [illeg] sliced with a razor. They are in an open vessel & roots dip into water

 Put in  the a dark cupboard in my room: no fire: abt 14°C 57—58F

May 26th 10. 20 AM ie after 12° All three slightly curved away from the cut sides

10 25AM .sliced 3 roots [illeg] E, F, G used for the cold water surface experiment. (H was broken accidentally)

6. 30 pm   No change in B, C, D, (E F, G ie after 8° 

May 27th 8 AM. B, C, D clearly bent from cuts. The beans E, F. G are two deep in the water corrected this

May 28th 9 AM.

 G   & E bend away from cuts ie I my say aft 24°

 F bends   not away from cut but not opposed to it either ie not towards it

13/18 — 14/18 — of the 4 long ra ones 3 rose sly, & one was more bent but neither from nor toward the cut surface

5/6

24v

March 15

Lily     Rubus

Fresh St          

8. 30 } rubbed out

8. 30

9. 30 long way from light window     9. 30

fresh starts      

o 10. 15

10. 18

11. 10  — 11. 10 hardly move fresh st

12 10 window

10. 15

11. 10

12. 10 Fresh st 12. 15 1 .5

  1. 5   

  2. 10  2. 10

  3 10

3. 10

  4.       —4

  5. 20  —5 20

  6.45   —6 45

 7 35    —7 35

 

8. ?

  9. 27  —9. 27

— 10 37          —10 37

— 8 35 AM     —8 35

25

2

Slicing

May 27th /78

6 beans pinned to cork cover of glass vessel. Roots in the air.

Cuts made as small as possible with razor about parallel to or a little steeper that one side of the tip of the root. In slicing & afterwards in examining the roots I look at them &

(left hand diagram labels)

front

(right hand diagram labels)

thus:—

L

R

& call the side facing me front, the other side or that looking towards the bean itself is the back; the lateral surfaces I call Rt & Left. |Dark cupboard no fire in room Temp 14' to 16 by day|

When sliced                where cut        Examined 11. pm Direction bent            Ex. 9AM May 28—    N.B growing with tips in water the pot was filled up at 11pm

2. 45    1          Rt        L ??     L 19°

no change 10 30 pm

10. 35  2          Left     R         R 22° 30'

—"—

—"—  3          R         back & L         L & back 22°. 30'

—"—

—"—  4          L front no bend           no bend 22. 30

slight Rt back

2. 45    5          back    no bend           no bend 19

Ono bend

10. 35  6          Left     back?   straight 22° 30'

backward bend

57° — 61° F.

(May 27, PM)

2. 35    No       where cut        Examined may 28 9 AM         examined again 10 30 pm

2. 35    7          L          straight 19' 19

nothing new

—        8          L          Rt   19

—        9          R         L back 19

8/12 acted & 9/12 within

—        10        L front Rt 19

—        11        L front Rt   19

—        12        R back L forward; 19

(this only applies to cut tip; the rest of root is bent into a serpentine form rather.)

All these had root tips in water

 12° 3 after 

8 examine aft 19°

4   after 22°. 30

3 after   rather above 24°


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 27 January, 2026