136 Vegetable Staticks. 



the vegetable takes in, than the animal 

 whereby its motion is accelerated; for by£ v . 

 periment ift, we find the Sunflower, bulk 

 for bulk, imbibes and pcrfpires 17 times 

 more frefh liquor than a man every 24 hours. 



Befides, nature's great aim in vegetables 

 being only that the vegetable life be carried 

 on and maintained , there was no occafion 

 to give its fap the rapid motion, which was 

 neceiTary for the blood of animals. 



In animals, it is the heart which fets the 

 blood in motion, and makes it continually 

 circulate ; but in vegetables, we can difco- 

 ver no other caufe of the fap's motion, but 

 the ftrong attraction of the capillary fap 

 veflfels, affifted by the brisk undulations and 

 vibrations, caufed by the fun's warmth, w here- 

 by the fap is carried up to the top of the 

 talleft trees, and is there perfpircd off thro' 

 the leaves : But when the fur face of the tree 

 is greatly diminimed by the lofs of its leaves, 

 then alfo the perfpiration and motion of the 

 fap is proportionably diminimed, as is plain 

 from many of the foregoing Experiments: 

 So that the afcending velocity of the fap is 

 principally accelerated by the plentiful P er ' 

 fpiration of the leaves^ therebv making room 



for 







