134 ON THE FOLIATION 



gions of medicine. From whence it has hap- 

 pened, that we find very few that have culti- 

 vated botany, but phyficians -, nor have even 

 thefe carried their inquiries farther than to ob- 

 tain a moderate knowledge of officinal plants. 

 But in our times fome, who are worthy of the 

 highefl regard from all true lovers of this ftudy, 

 have endeavoured to find out, and invefligate 

 the vertues of plants with greater care, and 

 jnduftry. For thefe men befides medical ufes 

 have difcovered great, and remarkable ad- 

 vantages accruing from fuch refearches. 



However i do not intend to give a cata- 

 logue of them here, but fhall content myfelf 

 with jufl touching upon fome few things, that 

 have been done in this way, in our own uni- 

 verfity. In the Philofophia Botanica our illu- 

 ftrious prefident has iliewn, that every foil has 

 its own peculiar plants, which we Ihould feek 

 for in vain any where elfe ; and that certain 

 plants keep, as it were, their watches, i. e, 

 expand their flov/ers and clofe them again at 

 ftated times '^. The differtation on the ef- 

 fQiifals of 'plants has imparted to the learned 

 world the ufe of various phasnomena, which 



«» V^id. Philof. Botan. p. 263. 273. Barck. This curious 

 fubjcft is amply treated in Aniarn. Acad. vol. 4. 



occur 



