V E G 



tion, v/hich are chiefly either of parts of vegetables, 

 or of animals ; of animals, which either derive their 

 own nourifhment immediately from vegetable bodies, 

 or from other animals that do fo ; in particular, the 

 blood, excrements, and urine of anirhals that do fo; 

 {having of horns and hoofs, hair, feathers, calcined 

 fhells, lees of wine and beer, alhes of all forts of ve- 

 getable bodies, leaves, ftraw, roots, and ftubble, 

 turned into earth by ploughing, or otherwife, to rot 

 and diiTolve there, 



Thefe are our bell manures ; and, being vegetable 

 fubftances, when refunded back again into the earth, 

 ferve for the formation of other bodies. 

 But to apply this to gardens, where the trees, fhrubs, 

 and herbs, after their having continued inoneflation 

 till they have derived thence the greatefl part of the 

 matter tit for their increafe, will decay and degene- 

 rate, unlefs either frefii earth, or fome fit matter be 

 applied to them. 



It is true they may maintain themfelyes there for fome 

 time, by fending forth roots farther and farther, to 

 an extent all around, to fetch in more provifion ; but 

 at laft they muft have a frelh fupply brought to them, 

 or they will decay. 



All thefe inftances argue a particular terreftrial mat- 

 ter, and not water, for the fubjeft to which plants 

 owe their increafe ; were it water only, there would 

 be no need of manures, or changing the fpecies ; the 

 rain falls in all places, in this field and in that, in- 

 differently, on one fide of an orchard or garden, as 

 well as the other ; nor could there be any reafon why 

 a tradb of land Ihould yield Wheat one year and not 

 the next, fince the rain fhowers down all alike upon 

 the earth. - . 



— *- 



y . Vegetables are not formed of water ^ but of a certain 



..... peculiar terrejlrial matter. 



It has been fhewn, that there is a Confiderable quan- 

 tity of this matter both in fpring, rain, and river 

 water ; and the experiments before-mentioned fhew, 

 that the much greatefl: part of the fluid mafs that 

 afcends up into plants, does not fettle or abide there, 

 but palTes through the pores of them, and exhales 

 into the atmofphere ; and that a great part of the ter- 

 reftrial matter mixed with the water, pafTes up into 

 the plant along with it, and that the plant is more or 

 lefs augmented, in proportion as tlie water contains a 

 greater or lefs quantity of matter ; from all which we 

 may reafonably infer, that earth, and not water, is 

 the matter which conftitutes vegetables. 

 One of the fprigs of Mint before-mentioned drew up 

 into it 2501 grains of the fluid mafs, and yet had re- 

 ceived but 3 -^ grains of increafe from it. 

 A fecond, though it had at firft the difadvantage to 

 be much lefs than a third, yet being fet in water, 

 wherein earth had been plentifully mixed, and the 

 other in water without any fuch earth, it had vafl:ly 

 outgrown it, weighing at leafl: 145 grains more than 



that did. 



A fourth plant, though at firfl a great deal lefs than 

 the fifth, yet being fet in foul crafs water, that was 

 left in the fl;ill, after that in which the lafl: was fet 

 was drawn ofl^^ had gained in weight at the end, above 

 double what that in the finer and thinner water had. 

 The proportion of the augment of that plant, which 

 throve moft, was in the faid mafs fpent upon it, but 

 as I to 46 ; in others as one to 60, 100, 200 ; and in 

 theCataputia, but as i to 714. 

 One of the fprigs took up 39 grains of water a day, 

 one day with another, which was much more than the 

 whole plant originally i and yet it gained not ^^ of a 

 grain a day in weight. 



And another took up 253 grains a day, which was 

 near twice as much as its original weight ; and after 

 all, the daily increafe of the plant was no more than 2 



I y 



:- ^rauis. 



6 t> 



/ 



r 



VI. Sprij7g and rain water contain neat an equal charge of 

 vegetable matter \ ri^er water more than either of them* 



I 



1.^ 



G 



Thefe proportions hold in the main, but a flrrift and 

 juitcompofmon is hardly to be expefted j inafmuch 

 as m all probability, the water that falls in rain, con- 

 tains fometimes a greater flaare of terreflrrial matter, 

 than that which falls at other times j a more powerful 

 and intenfe heat, of neceflity, hurrying up a larger 

 quantity of that matter, along with the humid va- 

 pours that form rain, than one more feeble and remifs 

 pofllbly can. 



The water of one fpring may flow forth with a high- 

 er charge of this matter than that of another, this 

 depending partly upon the quicknefs of the ebullition 

 of the water, and partly on the quantity of that mat- 

 ter latent in the ftrata, thro' which the fluid pafles, 

 and the greater or lefs laxity of thofe fl:rata ; for the 

 fame reafon the water of one river may abound with 

 it more than that of another \ nay, the fame river, 

 when much agitated and in commotion, mufl: bear 

 up more of it, than when it moves with lefs rapidity 

 and violence. That there is a great quantity of or- 

 dinary fertility of the earth, the Nile aflbrds a preg- 

 nant infl:ance, and fo does the Ganges and other rivers^ 

 which annually overflowing the neighbouring plains' 

 their banks fhew the faireft and largeft crops of any 

 in the world. 



[I. Water ferves only for 

 matter which forms vegeta 

 any augmentation to them. 



tfelfmake 



'* 



Where the proper terreflrrial matter is wanting, the 

 plant is not augmented, though never fo much water 

 afcend into it : water then is not the matter that com- 

 pofes vegetable bodies, it is only the agent that con- 

 veys the matter into them, that diftributesit to their 

 feveral parts to their nourifhment ; that matter is flug- 

 gifh and inadtive, and would lie eternally confined to 

 its beds of earth, without advancing up into plants, 

 did not water or fome like infl:rument fetch it forth, 

 and carry it into them. 



This fluid is capacitated feveral ways for the office 

 here affigned it, by the figure of its parts, which ap- 

 pears from many experiments to be exaftly and ma- 

 thematically fpherical, their furfaces being perfedly 

 polite, and without any the leaft irregularities. 

 It is evident, that corpufcles of fuch a figure are ea- 

 fily fufceptible of motion, and far above any others 

 whatever, and confequently more capable of moving 

 and conveying other matter that is not fo adive j then 

 the intervals of the bodies of that figure are, ifi re- 

 fpcift to their bulk, oF all others't)ie largefl:, and fo 

 the mofl: fitted to receive and entertain foreign matter 

 in them ; befides, as far as the trials hitherto made 

 inform us, the confliituent corpufcles of water are 

 each fingly confidered abfolutely folid, and do not 

 yield to the greatefl: external force ; this fecures their 

 figure againfl: any alteration, and the Intervals of their 

 corpufcles muft be always alike. 



By the latter it will be ever difpofed to receive matter 

 into it ; and by the former, when once received, to 

 bear it along with it. Water is farther capacitated 

 to be a vehicle to this matter, by the tenuity and fine- 

 nefs of the corpufcles of which it confiflis. We hardly 

 know any fluid in all nature, except fire, whofe con- 

 flituent parts are fo exceeding fubtile and fmall as 

 thofe of water are ; they will pafs pores and interfl:ices 

 that neither airnor any other fluid will. This ena- 

 bles them to enter the tubes, and finefl: vefl^els of 

 plants, and to introduce the terreflrial matter, and 

 convey it to all parts of them, whilfl each, by means 

 of organs it is endued with for that purpofe, intercepts 

 and aflTumes into itfelf, fuch particles as are fuitable 

 to its own nature, letting the refl: pafs on through the 

 common dudls. 



VIII. Water is not capable of performing this office to 

 plants^ unlefs affifted by a due quantity of heat. 



Heat mufl: concur, or Vegetation will not fucceed. 

 The plants fet in the glaflfes in Odober, and the fol- 



*3 T lowing 



