V E 



J 



1 



tc theeardi. The earth, like a kind mother, having 

 received it into her boforn, docs not only pertorm the 

 ^xc of incubation, by her oww warm vapours and 



o 



exhalations, in conjunction v/iili the heat of the lun, 

 but gradually lupplies what tiie feed requ*M*es to its 

 farther growth, as aboundiner everv where with canals 

 and finufcs, in which the dew and rain water, impreg- 

 nated with fertile fait*?, glide like the chyle and blood 

 in the arteries, Sec. of animals. 



This moillure, meeting with new-depofite£l feed, is 

 percolated or ftraincd through the pores or pipes of 

 the outer rind or hufk, anfwering to the fecundines 

 of foetufcs, on the infide whereof lie one more, com- 

 monly two, thick feminal leaves correfponding to the 

 placenta in women, and the cotyledons in brutes. 

 The feed-leaves confift of a great number of little ve- 

 ficul^ or bladders, with a tube correfponding to the 

 navel-firings in animals. 



The moifture of the earth, ftrained through the rind 

 of the feed, is received into thefe veficute, which 

 caufes a flight fermentation with the proper juice be- 

 fore contained therein. 

 This fermented liquor is conveyed by the umbilical 





of a future root ; the outer or Oicatli is loofeMcd, ^nd 

 the feed-leaf left begins to fade. 

 'J'he fixth day the liable-leaf being loofencd, the pi v-t 

 mounts upwards, the /aeaf Uili cleaving round, ic 

 like a bark. The feed-leaf is now feen finuou^ or 

 wrinkled, and faded ; and th.is being freed or cut 

 from the fecundine, the flcfii or pericaT-pium is fouiid 

 of a different texture, the outer part, whereby tlie o.-.t- 

 lidc of the iecd or grain is heaped up, being'morc ib- 

 l«d, but the infidc vifcular, and full of hunTour, efr)c- 

 cially that part next the navel-knot. All the 'leaves 

 being pulled off, the roots torn, and the flower-leaf 

 removed, the trunk appears, wherein, not far from 

 the roots, the navel-knot bunches out, which is folid, 

 and hard cut ; above there is a mark of the fheath- 

 leaf, which was pulled off, and underneath, as in an 

 arm- pit, the gem is often hid ', the hind part of the 

 plant Ihews the breaking forth of the roots likewife 

 with the faded placenta, &c. ' 



After the eleventh day the feed-leaf, as yet fiickin - 

 to the plant, is crumpled, and almoft corrupted ; witli^ 

 in it is hollow, and about the fecundine, the mucus 

 and white fubftance of the ktd., being continued to 



or 



vefTel to the trunk of the little plant, and to the gem j the navel-knot forms a cavity ; all the roots becom- 

 or bud which is condguous to it, upon which a Vege- 1 ing longer, put forth new branches out of their fides 



The fecond leaf withers, and its veficles are emptied • 

 the internodes or fpaces between the knots f^row 



longer, new gems appear, and the middle root crrows 



feveral inches lonTCr. 



ration and increafe of the plant fucceed. 



This procedure in the Vegetation of plants, the afore- 



faid author exemplifies in a grain of Wheat as follows: 



The firft day the grain is fown, it grows a little tur- ^ 



gid, and the fecundine or hulk gapes a little in feve- I After a month, the roots and ftalk being grown much 



ral places j and the body of the plant, being continued j longer, new buds break out at the firft knot, and lit- 



by the umbilical veflel to a conglobated leaf (which j tie tumours bunch out, which, at len^-th, break out 



is called the pulp or flefh of the feed, and is what con- j into roots. 



ftitutes the flour) fwells, by which means, not only the j As to the vegetable matter, or the food where t!i- 

 gem or fprout (which is to be the future ftem) opens 

 and increafes, but the roots begin to bunch out, 

 whence the placenta or feed-leaf^ 



loofe 



gapes 



< « \ 



I - - 



The fecond day, the fecundine or hufk, being broken 

 through the ftem or top of the future ftraw, appears 

 on the outfide thereof, arid grows upward by degrees, j tranfmuted Into the body of the plant/ affords the 



plants grow, there is fome doubt ;' it hath been a o-c- 

 neral opinion among almoft all the modern naturaliits, 

 That^the Vegetation of plants, and even of minerals 

 too, is principally owing to water, which not only 

 ferves as a vehicle to convey to them the fine rich 

 earth, &c. proper for their nourifhment, but bemcr 



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^ 



In the mean time, the feed-leaf, guarding the roots, 



becomes turgid with its vifcul^, and puts forth a white 



down, and the leaf being pulled away, you fee the 



robts of the plant bare, the future biad, leaves, and 



the reft of the ftalk lying'ftill hid. Between the roots 



and the afcending ftem, the trunk of the plant is knit | following experiments : 



by the navel-knot to the flower-leaf, which is very J In the firft place, he carefully examined all forts of 



greateft part, if not all the matter with which they 

 are nourifhed> and by which they grow and increafe 

 in bigneis. -This opinion is countenanced by very 

 great names, particulady by the ingenious Dr. Wood- 

 ward, who, in order to afcertain this point, made the 



f 



■ * 



s - 



h. 



moift, though it ftill retains its white colour, and its 



natural tafte. 



r 



The third day the pulp of the conglobated or round 

 leaf becomes turgid with the juice it has received from 

 the earth fermenting with its own. 

 Thus the plant increafes in bignefs, and in its bud or 

 ftem becomes taller, and from whitifh turns greenifh. 

 The lateral roots alfo break forth greenifh and pyra- 

 midal, from the gaping fheaf, which adheres clofely 

 to the plant, and the lower roots grow longer and 

 hairy, with many fibres growing out of the fame. 

 Indeed, there are hairy fibres hanging all along on 

 all the roots, except on the tops, and thefe fibres are 

 feen to wind about the faline particles of the foil, or 

 little lumps of earth, &c. like Ivy, whenjce they grow 

 curled. About the lateral roots there now break out 

 two other little ones. 

 The fourth day the Hem, mounting upwards, makes 

 a right angle with the feminal leaf The laft roots put 

 forth more, and the other three, growing larger, are 

 clothed with more hairs, which ftraitly embrace the 

 lumps of earth, and where they meet with any vacu- 

 ity, unite in a kind of net-work. The conglobate or 

 flower-leaf, is now fofter, and, when bruifed, yields 



' ■ - 



water, and found that the cleareft fine fpring water, 

 which he could any where meet with, exhibited even 

 to the naked eye great numbers of exceeding fmall 

 terreftrial particles, and that all other craflfer waters 

 had thefe in yet much greater quantity, and alfo, that 

 they were of a larger bulk. 



He found this terreftrial matter contained in all wa- 

 ter to be of two kinds, the one properly a veo-etable 

 matter, but confifting of very different parricles, fome 

 of which are very proper for the nourifhment of fome 

 kinds of plants, others for different forts, &c. The 

 other kind of earthy matter he found to be purely of 

 a mineral nature, and this alfo was of very various and 

 different kinds. , - - . 



The former fort of vegetable earthy matter abounds 

 plentifully in all waters, but for the mineral, it is 

 found moftly in fpring water, next to that, in river 

 water, and leaft of all, in rain water, though even 

 there alfo it is to be found plentifully. 

 This^ fad, he fays, any one may difcover, by only 

 keeping wat^r for a Competent time without Itirring 

 it, in a clear glafs phial, clofely ftopped to keep out 

 duft, &c. for then he will obferve that thefe very 

 fmall terreftrial particles, which before were fcarcely 



a white fweetifh juice, like Barley cream. By ftrip- vifible fingly, will now combine together into large 



ping it off, the root and ftem of the plant are plainly 



feen, with the intermediate navel-knot, whofe outer 



part is folid like a bark, and in the inner more foft and 

 medullary. 





and more confpicuous mafl^es, which, by degrees, will 

 join together, and form clouds, as it were, hi the wa- 

 ter, which will grow daily more and more opa- 



-T-L cr u J T rt 11 AM, -r ' 1 ^^"^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^y ^^^ connnual jiccefTion of new mat- 



1 he hfth day the ftalk, ftiU nfing, puts forth a per- ter ; and if the earthy matter in the water be chiefly 



manent or flable leaf, which is green and folded. The of the vegetable kind, it will turn the water green, 

 roots grow longer, and there appears a new tumour the ufual colour of vegetables, and this will grow 



deeper 



