5 10 Injlances of fufpended Animation in Vegetables. 



when an end was put to the experiment, from a convidtion, that putrefaction would have 

 deftroyed the plants in a much fhorter time, had the indications of life exhibited by them 

 proved deluCve. 



The foregoing fa£l appeared to me, at the time of its dlfcovery, a furprifing inftance of 

 fufpended animation in a vegetable ; but a Cmilar trial, made at a fubfequent period, 

 afforded a more extraordinary proof of the exiftence of an accommodating principle in the 

 fame plant. A number of leaves, which were dried with thofe ufed in the laft experiment, 

 had been accidentally preferved in a fmall box, from the beginning of July, 1797, to the 

 end of March, 1800. Being convinced by trial that the plants were ftill living, notwith- 

 ftanding their long continuance in what may be called a torpid ftate, I placed feveral of 

 them in a glafs jar, which was fumiflied with a fmall fyphon, for the purpofe of changing 

 the water from time to time. The plants, treated in this manner, not only revived after 

 remaining in a ftate of apparent death for more than two years, but retained fufficient 

 vigour to produce complete parts of fruftification in Auguft, which is the proper flowering 

 feafon of this fpecies of lemna. 



Various fpecies of conferva and tremella might be pointed out as endued with the pro- 

 perty under confideration ; but I (hall only mention one circumftance of the kind at 

 prefent. When ponds dry up in the fummer, the fcdiment left behind forms a paper-like 

 fubftance on their bottoms : if a piece of this fubftance be put into water, it turns green in 

 a few minutes, on account of the different confervs, which enter into the compofuion of 

 this natural paper, and revive upon their being faturated with their proper fluid. 



The principle of accommodation that forms the fubje£l of the prefent efl'ay, is not con- 

 fined to aquatic vegetables ; for in the courfe of my examination of the fubje£l, I found it 

 in the vegetating germs of the feftuca vivipara ; feveral of which produced perfe£l plants 

 after being kept dry fome of them four, and others five weeks. The knowledge of this 

 circumftance, and the information I received that barley does not lofe the power of fprout- 

 ing by being malted, determined me to enquire more carefully into the nature of feeds in 

 this refpeft, and I fixed upon peafe for the experiment. With this view I permitted a 

 number of them, which had been moiftened for the purpofe, to germinate for three days^ 

 and then dried them again, by the application of a gentle heat : on foaking them afrefh in 

 water, and expofing them to the air, the procefs of germination recommenced, not by the 

 production of new parts, for the former fprouts revived, and advanced in growth as if no 

 interruption had been previoufly offered to them. A repetition of the laft experiment, 

 mad« with the fame peafe, gave a fimilar refult ; but a third attempt failed, becaufe the 

 feed lobes parted, their mutual connexion being nearly broken before the prefent trial, 

 by the enlargement of the germs, and the treatment they had received. 



The preceding experiments feem to fuggeft and authorize the following conclufions. 

 ift. The analogy which has been (hewn in many cafes to conneft vegetables with 

 animals, becomes more extenfive the farther we carry our refcarches ; of the truth of 

 which the prefent efTay affords an example. 



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