FECUNDATION (ante). One of the most interesting subjects of philosophical inquiry is that of insect fertilization of plants. Naturalists hate long been aware of the fact that pistillate flowers, whether growing on the same trees with the stfaninate, or on different trees (moncecious or dicecious), owe their fertilization to the agency of insects, which the pollen from the staminate to the pistillate flowers. Nearly all such plants have flowers which secrete a nectar attractive to insects, and this has been regarded as one of the numerous evidences of the agency of a designing providence; but still stronger evidence, if possible, is furnished by thefertilization of perfect flowers by insects. It has generally been thought that flowers bearing both stamens and pis tils were always self-fertilizing, but this is not the ease with many kinds. There is a provision by which several plants are prevented from iu and-in breeding, the parts of the flower being so arranged that it is impossible for the pollen to come in contact with the stigma. This is the case, among others, with the numerous family of orchids;
and one of the most interesting works upon the subject was written by the advocate of the Origin of Species by Natural Selection, in which there is conclusive evidence that provision has been made, not only with the evident design of preventing self-fertiliza tion, but also with the design of attracting the insect, which is made the agent of the fecundating act. (See Fertilization of Orchids, by Charles Darwin, London, 1862.) For the purpose of more perfectly insuring cross fertilization, in some flowers, the stamens precede the female organ in development, and shed their pollen before impregnation can take place, leaving the fertilization to be accomplished by the agency of insects, which carry the pollen from other flowers not so forward in development.