Abgesehen davon, dass die Anzahl, in welcher beiderlei Keimzellen im Fruchtknoten vorkommen, nur im Durchschnitte als gleich angenommen werden kann, bleibt es ganz dem Zufalle überlassen, welche von den beiden Pollenarten an jeder einzellen Keimzelle die Befruchtung vollzieht.
Even if we disregard the fact that the quantity in which both kinds of germ cells occur in the germen can only be assumed to be equal on average, it remains entirely a matter of chance which of the two kinds of pollen performs fertilisation in each individual germ cell.
quantity = Anzahl See p. 3, s. 8. The manuscript originally had das Verhält[nis] which was deleted and replaced by Anzahl.
germ cells = Keimzellen See p. 24, s. 4.
both kinds = beiderlei On the suffix -lei see p. 42, s. 4.
performs = vollziehen The German verb used here has the clear connotation of an active subject acting on a passive object; it was especially used with respect to marriage in the sense of the english “consummate”; see Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Deutsches Wörterbuch, online-edition, s.v. “vollziehen”, 2.f (1933). In his choice of words, that is, Mendel still retains ideas of an asymmetrical role of male and female factors in fertilisation.