on the Vegetation of Seeds. 321 
placed them naked in the ground. Of all that he 
treated in this manner, only three beans vegetated, 
not in the ufual way, but very imperfectly: vide 
Malpighit opera Tom. I. p. 109. It is evident 
then from the experiment of the Italian philofopher, 
that the juices of the earth, though fit for the nu- 
trition of maturer plants, are infufficient to awake 
the latent energy of their Germs. But if the 
feeds be planted in the earth unmutilated, thefe 
juices are imbibed by their feed lobes, and there 
receive the impregnation which is neceffary for the 
‘vegetative procefs; the atmofpheric air, that con- 
tributes fo much to the change in their compofition, 
having free accefs to the feeds through the pores of 
the foil, as may be fafely inferred from the firft 
experiment. It is highly probable, that the Germs 
of the beans which attempted to vegetate, were not 
perfectly freed from the farinaceous matter; they 
therefore fprouted, but withered foon after for want 
of proper nourifhment. 
Experiment IX, Having now difcovered the 
ufe of Oxygene to plants, in the firft ftages of their 
growth; I inquired, in the next place, what would 
be the confequence of inclofing feeds in azote, after 
faturating them with water. For this purpofe, I put 
two equal quantities of fteeped barley, viz. one 
ounce, one dram, thirty grains, into feparate bell- 
glaffes, where they were fupported by ftrainers, as 
as in the feventh experiment. One bell was then 
fet, with its mouth downwards, ona table, a {mall 
Sf bottle 
