STUDY ix:. 227 



attained the ufual fize, and changed into a capfula 

 filled with feeds, without difplaying, outwardly or 

 inwardly, either petal, or anthera, or fligma, or 

 any part whatever of the flower. All thefe buds 

 prefented fucceffively the fame phenomena in the 

 months of May, of June, and of July, but no one 

 of thofe violet plants prefented the lead femblance 

 of a flower. I only perceived in the fhooting buds 

 which I opened, the parts which fliould have com- 

 pofed the flower withered within the calix. I fowed 

 again their feeds which had not been fecundated, 

 and hitherto they have not fprung up. This ex- 

 periment fo far is favourable to the Linn^cin fyf- 

 tem J but it is in another refpe6t a deviation, as 

 it demonftrates the poflîbility of a plant's pro- 

 ducing fruit without having flowered. 



It may be here proper to remark, once for all, 

 that phyfical Laws are fubordinate to the Laws of 

 utility, that is, to give an inftance, the Laws of 

 vegetation are adapted to the prefervation of fen- 

 fible beings, for whofeufethey were defigned. Ac- 

 cordingly, though the flowering of my violet may 

 have been interrupted, this prevented not the pro- 

 duction of it's feeds, which were deflined to be the 

 fubfiftence of fome animal, whofe natural food it 

 is. For this reafon, too, the moft ufeful plants, 

 fuch as the gramineous, are thofe which have the 

 greateft variety of methods to re-produce them- 



(4^ a felves. 



