THE SELF-FERTILIZATION OF PLANTS. 403 



to confound, completely, all of his views. But, evil 

 has, in the main, been shown (however much it has 

 varied in character), to be, in some way, occasioned by 

 close-interbreeding. In those instances, even, where 

 good has resulted, the gratuitous supposition has ever 

 appeared open to him that, if the interbreeding were 

 only continued long enough, the evil would manifest 

 itself. And, his " law '' has had a semblance of support 

 from the good resulting from crossing; because, each 

 crossed variety had some feature, to contribute to the 

 offspring. Consequently, he has hitherto been pleased 

 and satisfied with the test of lessened fertility, and of 

 sterility. 



He finds, however, that the crucial test — admissible 

 on both theories — reveals, that, with Orchids, the self- 

 fertilized plants are much more fertile, than the crossed 

 plants! Such a result is the very antithesis to what 

 Darwin's theory requires, and fully refutes his "great 

 law." The reason, to the reader, is plain, and exactly 

 what was to be expected. The self-fertilized plants 

 are, — at least in the reproductive features above men- 

 tioned, — unmodified and therefore just that much less 

 provocative of sterility; whereas, the plants, incapable 

 of self-fertilization, and which are crossed, are rudimen- 

 tary in such features, and therefore just that much more 

 susceptible of lessened fertility. 



Here is the proof. He says (p. 66, " Fertilization of 

 Orchids"): 



"I have often noticed, that the spikes of the Bee 

 Ophrys apparently produced as many seed-capsules as 

 flowers; and, near Torquay, I carefully examined 



