OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



261 



' ken away, along with the male flowers. Meanwhile my four 

 ' gourds grew rapidly. Finding that, towards the middle of Sep- 

 ' tember, they had attained the ufual full fize, I gathered one, in 

 ' order to infped the internal parts. The flefli was too foft, becaufe 

 ' the fruit was not thoroughly ripe ; but, in colour, ftrudlure, and 

 ' tafte, it refembled fruit produced by plants which had their male 

 ' flowers. — The feeds were in great number, and, as well internally 



* as externally, were perfedlly formed. — At the end of the month, 



* the other three gourds were quite ripe. I therefore gathered them, 



* and put the feeds of each into a feparate box, that I might be able 



* to examine them at pleafure. The lobes filled the whole infide of 



* the feeds, and had all the characters of perfect maturity. 



* Thus far,' continues our author, * there is a perfedt agreement 

 with the obfervations made on the feeds of fome hermaphrodite 

 plants, which feemed, notwithftanding they were deprived of the 

 efficacy of the pollen, to have acquired the fame degree of per- 

 fedion as thofe impregnated in the ufual manner. But, as they 

 did not grow, however perfect they might be in appearance, be- 

 caufe they had not been vivified by the pollen, I imagined, that, 

 for the fame reafon, the feeds of my three gourds would not grow. 

 It was, however, proper to make the experiment. I therefore 

 dried one hundred and fifty in the fun, and afterwards planted 

 them in three pots, fifty in each, taken from feparate gourds. But 

 the latenefs of the feafon, it being the loth of Odober, the con- 

 ftanl rain, and the coolnefs occafioned by it, circumftances unfa- 

 vourable to vegetation, obliged me to place my pots in a ftove, 

 which, though it was not heated, was kept warm by a contiguous 

 chimney. The event did not by any means correfpond to my expec- 

 tation. I took it {or granted, that none of the feeds would germi' 

 nate ; and yet they almoji all came up very well *.' 



Here 



* Spalanzani's DiiTertations, vol. 2. p. 276. &c. 



I 



