328 THE STRUCTUllE OF FLOWERS. 



When we look back and remember that the plant was 

 " absolutely self-sterile " in Brazil, and compare that fact 

 Avitli these final results, it is difficult to see how self-fertilisa- 

 tion can be charged in any way with injurionsness. Though 

 the results may have shown little or no advantage from 

 crossing, it does not follow " that the differences," namely 

 greater height, weight, or fertility of the self-fertilised, were 

 attributable " to the inferiority of the self-fertilised seedlings, 

 due to the injurious eifects of self -fertilisation." 



On the other hand, the facts appear to warrant the 

 conclusion that this north-temperate plant became barren 

 in Brazil in consequence of the hot climate ; that the 

 recovery of its self -fertilising powers was due to the English 

 climate better suiting it; that it at once responded to the 

 effort, so that its self- fertility rose in two generations from 



to 86-6 p.c. The plants, too, thus raised showed nothing to 

 indicate any constitutional derangement that might, with 

 any show of reason, be attributable to self-fertilisation. 



From the preceding observations upon Mr. Darwin's 

 reasoning, I think the reader will now see that it is not so 

 conclusive in proving the existence of any injurionsness in 

 self-fertilisation as he appeared to think. 



This chapter was already in type when I met with the 

 following passage in " The Life and Letters of C. Darwin," 

 written in May, 1881 : " I now believe . . . that I ought to 

 have insisted more strongly than I did on the many adap- 

 tations for self -fertilisation, though I was well aware of 

 many such adaptations." 



With reo-ard to the values of other kinds of fertilisation, 



1 must refer to Mr. Darwin's works; for it is beyond my 

 purpose to discuss them, as they have no special bearing 

 upon the origin of floral structures. 



