FUNCTIONS OF STAMENS AND PISTILS. 239 



time immemorial a primary object of cultivation in the 

 more temperate climates of the globe, bears barren and 

 fertile flowers on separate trees. The ancient Greeks 

 soon discovered that in order to have abundant and 

 well-flavoured fruit, it was expedient to plant both trees 

 near together, or to bring the barren blossoms to those 

 which were to bear fruit; and in this chiefly consisted 

 the culture of that valuable plant. Tournefort tells us 

 that without such assistance dates have no kernel, and 

 are not good food. The same has long been practised, 

 and is continued to this very day in the Levant, upon 

 the Pistacia, and the Fig, 



At the revival of learning botanists were more occu- 

 pied in determining the species, and investigating the 

 medical properties of plants, than in studying their 

 physiology ; and when after a while the subject in' 

 question was started, some of them, as Morison, Tour- 

 nefort and Pontedera, uniformly treated with great 

 contempt the hypothesis which has since been esta- 

 blished. We shall, as we proceed, advert to some of 

 their arguments. 



About the year 1676, Sir Thomas Millington, 

 Savilian Professor at Oxford, is recorded to have hinted 

 to Dr. Grew that the use of the Stamens was probably 

 to perfect and fertilize the seed. Grew adopted the 

 idea, and the great Ray approved it. Several other 

 botanists either followed them, or had previously con- 

 ceived the same opinion, among which R J. Carnerarius, 

 Professor at Tubingen towards the end of the seven- 



