Joseph Holt And John Torrey Correspondence 1857 1858 PDF Download

Correspondence from Joseph Holt to John Torrey (including a copy of an 1857 letter from Holt to Joseph Henry) dated 1858. In the letter to Henry, Holt expresses a desire to solicit the opinions of "one or more reliable botanists" on whether various species of sorghum are likely to hybridize if planted in close proximity. In the two letters dated 1858, Holt hires Torrey to do a report on "indigenous hedge plants especially adapted to the Southern States" for the Patent Office's agricultural report, and lays out the terms of payment and procedures for the illutrations. He also informs Torrey that "we are not prepared to take any action on the subject" of a catalog of native grasses. Obsolete plant names mentioned include Holcus sorghum, Holcus saccharatus, Sorghum saccharatum, Sorghum rubens, and Sorghum vulgare.