T98 Ohfewations on Native Iron 



Their aflies gave a much greater quantity of metallic particles 

 than the feeds," and. produced alfo much more earth. 



As Nature produces, in plants, falts, oil, and flime, may 

 fljenpt, in like manner, produce earth, iron, and gold in a 

 metallic form ? and, in this procefs, may fhe not employ 

 water, light, and different kinds of gafes, which it appears 

 contribute moft to the formation of falts and oils? In this 

 manner metals would be brought very near to faline fub- 

 ftances, which feveral chemifts have already fufpefted. 



X\'^. Ohfervalhns on Native Iron found in Stratuberries*. 



I 



T appears from the preceding article to be a circumflance 

 well known to naturalifts, that in the aflies of plants there 

 are a great many particles fufceptible of being attraftcd by 

 the magnet, and which confcqucntly muft be of the nature 

 of iron ; but that this metal has been found in plants under 

 its original metallic form, is a fait known only to a few. 

 Grains of gold, however, according to the a0'erlion of Bccher, 

 have at times been found in grapes, and threads of gold have 

 been difcovered in the roots of corn j tin and lead in th.e in- 

 terior parts of plants ; quickfilver in wood, &c. : but it lias 

 never perhaps been thouehl poHible that iron (iiould be found 

 amidft the corroding, juices of a plant, becaufe no metal is 

 fo eafily decompofed as ir'on^ merely by the moilture of the 

 atmofphere, acids, and the like. 



A certain anonymous friend of natural hiflory dined with 

 feveral guefls. in the month of June ,1781, at the houfe of 

 his fifter, iituated on the road to Peterfhof, not far from 

 Peterfburgh : after dinner fome Ilrawberries were placed on 

 the table, in a plate, as part of the deiTert along with other 

 kinds of fruit. The anonymous perfon ate of the ftrawber- 

 rics, as did all the other guc{ts, without perceiving any thing 



*. From the Journal cie Phyjiquc, Nov, 17 S3. 



remarkable J 



