GEN 



GEN 



f!iecl the dud; biit as foon as the PiO\ver begins to 

 open, they depart from the ftylus, and force the pe- 

 tala outwards, by a certain ehafticity, and expand 

 themfclvesj this being done, they immediately change 

 their pofture from a perpendicular to an obHque or 

 horizontal one ; nor do they ever pour out their dufl: 

 or farina, till they can conveniently drop it upon the 

 bottom of the liowcr, and towards tlie root of the 



piflillum. 



But taking it for granted that it was fo, the top of the 

 ilylus (which the Doftor calls the button, In oppofidcn 

 to the apices ftaminumj he fays, is fo compaft, and 

 of (o firm a fubltance, that it is next to impofTible, 

 that the farina in fubftance, or in hitegral parts, can 



pafs through it. 



If the integral parts, the complete grain, the minute 

 globuli, in which the whole feminal plant is contained, 

 cannot then enter, the whole compound muft be dii- 

 folved, and the minute feminal particles in this fmall 

 grain of dull muft be difunited ; and if fo, how ihall 

 thefe acrain come to cement, fo as to make up one 

 continued body? or how fhall this little body, fo united, 

 penetrate a fecond time the partition-wall betwixt the 

 Ilylus and piftillum ? and again, how fhall it find out 

 its v/ay tp its ncft, in the proper embryo of the feed ? 

 7'hcDodor takes notice of the White Lily, the Orange 

 Lily, the Martagon Lily, &c. as objcdtions to the 

 opinions of Mr. Morland, Bradley, &c. and alfo 

 mentions the Iris, as a moft pregnant inftance, tliat 

 the farina cannot fo much as come at the piftillum ; 

 for having fix petals, the three ftamina with long 

 apices lie hid between the three petala which hang 

 downwards, and three large expanfions of the bifid 

 ftylus, and the upper part of the dov/n-hanging pe- 

 talon ; the farina can never reach the center of the 

 ftylus, though it were hollow, which it is not, but 

 muft defcend along its outfide, to the top and outfide 

 of the rudiment of the fruit, there to emit its efRuvia. 

 Thefe and other inftances he concludes, are fufficient 

 proof, that the farina cannot enter the ftylus, penetrate 

 into the piftillum, or intier part of the feminal veflel, 

 nor have the leaft accefs to the embryo of the feed. 

 As to the objeftion, that there is notpafi^agc fufficient 

 tp admit the male feed into the uterus, or even into 

 the ovaries, it is thus anfwered : 

 If it be confidcred how every flower, when it is pre- 

 pared for the a6l of receiving the male feed, is fo 





much under the influence of the fun, that the petals 

 open at its approach, and fliut up again at its depar- 

 ture, it very well explains hov/ the piftillum, or fe- 

 male parts of generation, are relaxed at one tiir.e more 

 than another, i. e. that the female parts are more re- 

 laxed at the opening of the flov/er, than when the 

 flower is ihut up ; for the flower-leaves adhering to 

 the bottom of the piftillum, muft confequently, when 

 they bend back, put every part of the piftillum into 

 a different pofture to that in which it was when the 

 petals were ihut. 



And it is certain, that it is the prefence of the fun 

 that ripens the male duft^ in the apices, and opens the 

 little cafes in which it is contained, giving them a 

 fpringinefs that flings forth that duft as foon as it is 

 ripe, lb as to fcatter it to a confiderable diftance. The 

 female pans are at this time dilated by the opening 

 of the flower-leaves, and the apices and chives, con- 

 curring at the fame time in flinging forth their male 

 duft, anfwer the fame end in the generation of plants, 

 that the aft of copulation does among animals. 

 Having thus given feveral reafonings and arguments 

 ufcd by various authors, who have made it their ftudv 

 to inveftigate the mode of generation of vegetables, 

 whether the impregnation of them proceeds from the 

 farina foecundans, or male duft, entering the uterus of 

 plants in fubftances, or by effluvia, iThall not take 

 upon me to determine thedifpute; efpecially fince 

 Mr. Boyle has proved, that all effluvia are fubti'le par- 

 ticles of matter; fo that it matters not how fmall or 

 minute thefe particles are, fincc a body in its firft ftate 

 may be fo minute as to be fcarcely perceptible. 

 I {lull therefore conclude with mentioning a few^ex- 



op....^-- -. , ....^ ^..^^ ^^^ , 



ot tne tanna auering die uterus in lubicancc, ^j ,.1 

 leave the curious enquirer to determine on that fjK 

 of the queftion, to v.'iucn rcafonin^ and exoerlm'^r.. 

 fliall influence him. 



P^^nincnt 



I feparated the male plants of a bed of Spinach fro 

 the female i and the conlcquence v/as, that tjic j;/ 1 

 did fv/ell to the ufual bignefs, but when ibwn it d'd 

 not grow afterwards ; and fcarching into the feed T 

 found it wanted the punftum viti-e, or wJiat GeogVo 

 calls the germen. '* ^ 



I fet twelve Tulips by themfelves, about fix or feven" 

 yards from any other, and as foon as they blew T 

 took out the ftamina with their fummits fo very care- 

 fully, that I fcattered none of the m.ale duft; and 

 about two days afterwards I faw bees workino- on a 

 bed of Tulips, where I did not take out the ftamina- 

 and when they came out, t!iey were loaded with the 

 farina or male duft on their bodies and lec^s ; and I 

 lav/ them fly into the l\i!ips, where I had taken out 

 ':ie ftamina, and when they came cut, I found they 

 ad left behind tliem fufiicient to impregnate theic 

 flowers, for they bore good ripe feeds which aftenvard 

 grew. 



In a parcel of Savoys, which were planted for fetrd 

 near white and red Cabbages, the fccd:^,^ v/hen fown 

 produced half red, and lome vAikc Cabbacycs, anl 

 ibme Savoys with red ribs, and fome neither one fort 

 nor the other, but a mixture of all forts together m 

 one plant, which I fuppofe mjght happen by the ef- 

 fluvia of the different forts impregnating the uterus of 

 each other. 



In a letter communicated by Paul Dudley, Efq-, to 

 the Royal Society, written from New England, he 

 mentions the interchanging of the colours of thela- 



tl 

 h 



dian Wheat, if the variou _ ^ ^. __„ ..^ 



near each other; but if they are planted feparately, 

 they conftantly keep to their own colour; sind this 

 interchanging of colours has been obferyed, when the 

 diftance between the rows of Corn has been feveral ' 

 yards, though he fays, if there happens to be a high 

 board fence between the difiY:rent coloured Corns, the 

 alteration of colours is entirely prevented. 

 It is from different flov/ers impregnating each other, 

 that the feveral varieties have been produced ; and 

 this, gives new light to the florifts, for raifing a much 

 greater variety of flowers •, for by planting the dif- 

 ferent coloured flowers near each other, fo that the 

 flowers when fully blown may be intermixed, their, 

 farina will impregnate each other, fo that the feeds 

 will produce variegated flowers partaking of both co- 

 lours. But it muft be obfervcd, " that flovv'ers of dif 

 ferent genera will not impregnate each other, therefore 

 the plants muft be of the fame genus vvhich are placed 

 together. 



Cucumbers and Melons always produce male and fe- 

 male flowers upon different parts of the fame plant i 

 the male flov/er (which appears upon a (lender foot- 

 ftalk, and has a large ftyle in the middle, covered 

 with an Orange-coloured farina) is by the gardeners 

 commonly called falfe blofllbms, and are fometimes by 

 unflcilful perfons pulled off" foon after they appear, 

 fuppcfing t.hat they weaken the plants, if fuftered to 

 remain, which is a very great miftake-, for, in order 

 to try this experiment, I planted four holes of Melons 

 in a place pretty far diftant from any other; and v,hen 

 the flowers began to appear, I conftantly pulled cu 

 all the male flowers from time to time before they 

 opened •, the confequence v/as, that all the youngjruit 

 dropt off'foon after they^appearcd, and notonefingic 

 fruit remained to grov/ to any fize, thoi^gh the vines 

 were equally ftrong with thofe which I had planted iri 

 another place, v/here I fufftred all the flowers to re- 

 main upon them, from which I had a great quantKV 

 of fruit. But this doctrine is now fo well eftablifhea 

 amiOng the gardeners, being confirmed by experience, 

 that they now carry the male flov/ers of the Cucum- 

 bers and Melons to the female, if there are nofic 



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