Chap. 3. J Experiment on the Tal-n. 29 



dant crop. This faft has alib been proved by a moft 

 decifive experiment of M. Greditfch. There was in 

 the royal garden at Berlin a beautiful palm'-tree, a fe- 

 male plant, which, however, though twenty-five years 

 old, had been always barren. There was another 

 palm at Leiplic of the male kind, which bloflbmed 

 every year. This ingenious botanil]:, undertook to 

 fecundate the palm at Berlin from that at Leipfic, and 

 had fome of tne^loflbms conveyed by the poll. The 

 confequence was, that he produced that leafon excel- 

 lent dates ; and the experiment profecuted with fome 

 variation for feveral iiicceeding years, was attended 

 with the fame iuccefs *. 



It has been faid, that the pollen was deftined for the 

 impregnation of the germen* This is performed in 

 the following, manner. The . antherae, which at the 

 firft opening of the flower are whole, burft foon after, 

 and difcharge the pollen. Being difperfed about the 

 flower, part of the pollen lodges on the furfacc of the 

 ftigma, where it is detained by the moifture with 

 which that part is covered. Each fingle grain or 

 atom of the pollen has been obferved by the micfof- 

 cope to burft in this fluid, and is fuppofed to difcharge 

 ibmething which impregnates the gsrmen below : 

 what the fubftance is which is fo difcharged, and whe- 

 ther it actually pafies through the ftyle into the germen, 

 feems yet undetermined, from the great difficulty of 

 obferving fuch minute parts and operations. In fome 

 vegetables, the ftamina move towards the -pift ilium j 

 and a very evident motion of them is obferved in the 

 flowers of the common berberry, on touching them 

 with the point of a pin. 



* Bonnet Contemn, p. 6. 



The 



