7 



plant, and which, when once started in life, is capable of 

 dispensing with the support and nourishment derived from 

 the parent stock. 



In a sense it may be said that every bud or new shoot 

 on a tree is a separate individual, growing upon the parent 

 stock as a sort of parasite, and that a tree is an assemblage 

 of individuals living together in a community. The buds or 

 shoots on a tree are analagous to the buds or shoots above 

 referred to, except that in the case of a tree the shoots grow- 

 ing upon the branches do not separate from the parent stock, 

 unless by the art of man, or otherwise, they become severed, 

 and are struck in the soil and grow as cuttings. 



In my address last year I dwelt upon the fact that 

 social insects developed features which were to the advan- 

 tage of the individual, or of the community, or of the species, 

 and that any feature which became by the process of 

 development specially prominent, must be to the advantage 

 of one or other of these. 



The same holds good, within limits, with plants ; features 

 to the advantage of the individual or the species must 

 progress by development, and if and so far as any plants live 

 in communities, by which I mean are dependent on one 

 another for support or maintenance, as in the supposed case 

 of the tree, they must develop features which are for the 

 advantage of the community. 



The good of the species we must take to be the highest 

 good, and accordingly we shall expect to find characteristics 

 predominating which are particularly for the good of the 

 species, and it is upon this branch of the subject I propose to 

 touch this evening. 



The greatest good of any species will involve the dis- 

 persal of that species, and we shall accordingly expect to 

 find methods evolved which will contribute to this result. 

 What will be the general features which will ensure that a 

 plant shall not become extinct for want of offspring ? This 

 will be the highest good of the species, and we shall accord- 

 ingly expect to find these features well marked. Naturally, 

 it will be that the plant shall produce a great number of 

 seeds or buds capable of establishing themselves. This of 



