the Ftcundatlon of Vcgeialles. TOT 



that a fingle plant may be the pffppring of two males, the 

 analogy between animal and vegetable nature may induce 

 fome curious conjeiSlure relative to the proccfs of generation 

 in the animal world. 



In the courle of the preceding experiments, I could never 

 obfervc that the charadlerj, either of the male or female, in 

 this plant, at all preponderated in the offspring; but, as this 

 point appeared intereCting, I made a few trials to afcertain it. 

 And as the foregoing obfcrvations had occurred in experi- 

 ments made principally to obtain new and improved varieties 

 c^f the pea, for garden culture, I chofc, for a limilar purpofc, 

 tlie more hardy varieties ufually fown in the fields. By in- 

 troducing the farina of the largeft and mofl luxuriant kinds 

 into the blofl'oms of the moft diminutive, and by reverfing 

 this procefs, 1 found that the powers of the male and feuKilc, 

 in their cffecls on the offspring, are cxaftly equal. The 

 vi<j[our of the growth, the fize of the feeds produced, and the 

 feafon of maturitv, %vere the fame, though the one was a very 

 early, and the other a late variety. I had, in this experi- 

 ment, a ftriking inftaiice of the ftimulative effeils of eroding 

 the breeds; for the fmallell variety, whole heioht rarelv ex- 

 x;eedcd two feet, was incrCafed to fix feet ; whilfl the height 

 of the large and luxuriant kind was very little diminifhed. 

 By this procefs, it is evident, that any number of new varie- 

 ties may be obtained ; and it is highly probable, that many 

 of thcfe will l)e fnmd better calcidated to correal the defefts 

 of different foils and fituations, than any we have at prcfent ; 

 for I imagine that all we now poffefs, have in a great mca- 

 fure been the produce of accident; and it will rarely happen, 

 in tills or anv other cafe, that accident has done all that art 

 will be found able to accomplifh. 



The fuecefs of my endeavours to produce improved va- 

 rieties of the pea, induced me to try fome experiments om 

 wheat; but thcfe did not fucceed to my expectations. I 

 readily obtained as manv varieties as I wiflicd, by merely 

 fowiug the dill'erent kinds together; for the ftrurture of tlie 

 bloffom of this plant (unlike that of the' pea) freely admits 

 the ingrefs of adventitious farina, and is thence very liable 

 to fpurt in varieilei. Some of ihofe 1 obtained were excel- 

 lent; 



