By the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert. 29 



days, the germen and seeds continue to grow, and in some 

 genera they increase exceedingly in size before the stigma 

 becomes perfect, soon after which period the germen ge- 

 nerally ceases to grow, and, unless it receives the congenial 

 dust, it will fail. The difficulty is to explain how the seed 

 can have power to draw from the plant the nourishment 

 which, is necessary for its growth, to a certain point, and yet 

 be unable to continue to derive the support which is requi- 

 site for bringing it to maturity. I suspect the fact to be, that 

 as long as the style remains fresh, the seed receives a portion 

 of its nourishment by a return of sap from the style, and stig- 

 ma; and thus continues to advance rapidly in growth, without 

 any fecundation : but I apprehend that, during that period, it 

 is only that part of the seed, which is to form the cotyledon, 

 or seedling leaf, that grows, and that the actual germ of the 

 young plant does not exist completely till after the fecunda- 

 tion of the stigma, when I conceive it to be actually formed 

 by an union of the substance transmitted through the vessels 

 of the style, and that which was already within the co- 

 tyledon, and thus to partake of the type of both parents. If 

 the fecundation only gave the embryo a stimulus to excite it 

 to draw nourishment, as I have heard suggested, the type of 

 the male would not be conspicuous, as it is in the offspring, 

 nor do I see how it could at all be impressed. I am led to 

 this opinion the more, by finding that seeds apparently 

 perfect, may be produced where the stigma has not been 

 touched with pollen, or with pollen from a plant not suffici- 

 ently allied ; but that on opening such seeds, there is a total 

 deficiency of the germ, the seed being an inert lump, which 

 cannot vegetate. The sprout or germ in the fleshy green 



