226 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



der, fuch as in the date-bearing palm-tree. We 

 have apphed this Law to the whole vegetable 

 kingdom. It embraces, no doubt, a very exten- 

 five field J but how many vegetables, befides, pro- 

 pagate themfelves by fuckers, by flips, by knit- 

 tings, by the extremities of their branches I Here 

 are, then, in the fame kingdom, various methods 

 of re-produdion. Neverthelefs, when we per- 

 ceive no longer in Nature, the Law which has once 

 been adopted in our books of Science, we are 

 weak enough to imagine that (he has gone aftray. 

 We have only one thread, and when it fnaps, we 

 conclude, that the fyftem of the Univerfe muft be 

 on the point of diflblution. The Supreme Intel-' 

 ligence difappears from before our eyes, the mo- 

 ment that our own happens to be a little difturbed. 

 1 entertain no doubt, however, that the Author 

 of Nature has eftabliflied Laws for the vegetable 

 World, «now fo generally fludied, which are ftill 

 to us entirely unknown. I take the liberty to fub- 

 join on this fubjed, an obfervation which I fubmit 

 to the experience of rpy Readers, 



Having tranfplanted, in the month of February 

 of the year 1783, fome fimple violet plants, which 

 had begun to pulh out fmall flower-buds j this 

 tranfplantation checked their expanfion in a man- 

 ner very extraordinary. Thefe fmall buds never 

 came into flower, but their ovary having fwelled, 

 » attained 



