on the Vegetation of Seeds, 319 ° 
_ Acid Gas that efcapes from fermenting fub{tances, 
during the converfion of {ugar into alcohol, is gene- 
rated by thofe fubftances themfelves. On the con- 
trary, a part of the furrounding air is’ either ab- 
forbed by feedsin the act of vegetation, or a por- 
tion of its Oxygene is charged with Carbone derived 
from them. But this will be placed in a clearer 
light by the next experiment. 
_ Exreriment VIII. I put feveral parcels of fteeped 
peas and barley, at different times, into phials, os 
which were left to ftand, for three or four minutes, * : 
in {pring water, of the heat of 46, 5°, to reduce them . 
to a known temperature. ‘They were then fecurely 
corked, and removed into a room, the temperature 
of which was never lefs than 53°. After remain- 
ing from four to fix days in this fituation, they 
were again placed in the fame fpring water, and 
opened in an inverted pofition, care being taken that - 
the barometer ftood at the time nearly where it 
did at firft. When a cork was thus drawn, a 
quantity of water rufhed in immediately, more than 
was fufficient to fill the neck. The air being paffed 
through lime water, contracted very fenfibly, and 
precipitated the lime. ‘The refiduum, freed in this 
manner from Carbonic Acid, extinguifhed a lighted 
taper like water; and this it did repeatedly. I 
made one of thefe experiments with more atten- 
tion than the reft, from which it appeared, that four | 
_ Ounces one dram forty grains, by meafure, of at- 
tnofpheric air, loft one-fixth of its original bulk, by 
being 
