426 History of the Sexual Theory. [Book hi. 



philosophy an incapability of judging of experiments simply 

 with the sound human understanding ; an imaginary some- 

 thing was constantly introduced into the results of experiments 

 which had not the remotest connection with their conditions 

 and results. 



The doubts expressed by Bernhardi in 1811, by Girou in 

 1828-30, and by Ramisch in 1837 were of a different kind; 

 these men made experiments and judged of them in a scientific 

 manner; but they were insufficiently acquainted with what 

 had been done before them, and their experiments were not 

 devised with the requisite knowledge of the conditions of the 

 problem, or carried out with sufficient precautions. Came- 

 rarius and Ray had noticed in the previous century the occa- 

 sional occurrence of male flowers on female plants of spinach, 

 hemp and mercury; and yet the observers above mentioned 

 chose these plants for their experiments without being on their 

 guard against the possible appearance of these exceptional 

 circumstances, or of other means of pollination. 



We see then that doubts were entertained till as late as 

 after 1830 with regard either to sexuality in plants altogether, 

 or to its general prevalence in Phanerogams ; the Cryptogams 

 were not mentioned, for they were assumed to be devoid of 

 sex in spite of many valuable observations of earlier times. 

 The great majority of botanists however admitted the sexual 

 significance of the organs of the flower ; most of them rested 

 in entire faith on Linnaeus' authority, while some were able to 

 appreciate the experimental proofs of Camerarius, Bradley, 

 Logan, Gleditsch and Koelreuter. But all who took up the 

 subject in earnest between 1820 and 1840 were naturally led 

 to desire that the question should once more be thoroughly 

 examined. The Berlin Academy of science had offered in 

 18 1 9 at Link's suggestion a prize for an essay on the question, 

 whether there is such a thing as hybrid fertilisation in the 

 vegetable kingdom, in the hope of stimulating botanists to 

 new investigations into the decisive points in the sexual 



