136 ON WATER AND WATERING PLANTS. 



mints H or I, the water of which was the very same with that hi 

 L, but had not any of the earth mixed with it ; yet in a short time, 

 the plant not only overtook, but much outstript all those ; and at 

 the end of the experiment was very considerably bigger and 

 heavier than either of them. 



Also the mint in N, though it was less at first than that in M, 

 being set in that turbid, thick, succulent water, that remained 

 behind after that wherein M was set, was distilled off, had in the 

 end more than double its original weight and bulk, and received 

 above twice the additional increase, which that in M had done, 

 which stood in the thinner distilled water, and which is as con- 

 siderable, had not drawn off half the quantity o ! water which that 

 had. 



The reason why in the beginning of this article he limits the 

 proportion of the augment of the plant to the quantity of the 

 proper terrestial matter in the water, is because all, even the 

 vegetable matter, to say nothing of the mineral, is not proper for 

 the nourishment of every plant. 



There may be, and doubtless there are some plants that are 

 much alike in different species of plants, and so owe their supply 

 to the same common matter ; but it is plain all cannot. And 

 there are other parts so differing, that it is no ways credible, that 

 they should be formed all out of the same sort of corpuscles ; nay, 

 it is so far from it, that there does not want good indications, as 

 will be seen by and by, that every kind of vegetable requires a 

 peculiar and specific matter for its formation and nourishment, 

 yea, each part of the same vegetable does so ; and there are very 

 many and different ingredients that go to the composition of the 

 same individual plant. 



If therefore the soil, wherein any vegetable or seed is planted 

 contains all, or most of these ingredients, and those in due quan- 

 tity, it will grow and thrive there, otherwise it will not. 



If there be not as many sorts of corpuscles, as are requisite, 

 for the constitution of the main and essential parts of the plant, 

 it will not prosper at all. If there be these, and not sufficient 

 plenty, it will starve and arrive at its natural stature ; or if there 

 be any the less necessary and essential corpuscles wanting, there 

 will be some failure in the plant. It will be detective in taste, in 

 smell, in colour, or some other way. 



(To be continued.) 



