94 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



All of them cease to grow, when their roots arc 

 in a state of congelation. As soon as the warmth 

 bf the spring comes on, the sap begins to as- 

 cend in their trunks, and branches : A fermen- 

 tation takes place in all their juices, and the ve- 

 getation becomes more or less rapid, as the 

 neat of the season ad^'ances. In Vermont, a- 

 boiit the tenth of Ma}^, the Maple, which is one 

 of the most numerous and forward trees of the 

 forest, begins to put forth its leaves. In one 

 or two days after, the whole body of the woods, 

 Appear of a beautiful light green ; and are con- 

 stantly growing of a darker colour, for ten or fif- 

 teen days, when the darkest shades become 

 fixed. During this period, the juices of the 

 trees appear to be in a state of high fermenta- 

 tion, their internal heat increases, and the effects 

 of their vegetation appear in an infinite variety 

 of buds, leaves and flowers. To ascertain the 

 degrees of heat, in different trees, at different 

 times of the year, and to mark their effects on 

 the leaves, and fruits, the following experiments 

 were made. With an auger, of one inch di- 

 ameter, I bored an hole twelve inches long, into 

 the body of the tree : In this hole, I enclosed a 

 thermometer of Farenheit's scale, stopping the 

 orifice with a cork, until the quicksilver had 

 acquired the degree of heat, which prevailed in 

 the internal part of the tree. The result of 

 these experiments, is set down in the following 

 table. 



