Royal Society. 373 
which propofition is eminently difcernable thro' the whole 
procefs of thefe trials ^ the mint in the glafs C was much of the 
fame bulk and weight with thofc in A and B 5 but the water 
in which C was, being river-water, which was apparently llored 
more copioufly with terrellrial particles than the fpring or rain- 
water, wherein A and B flood, it had thriven to almoft double 
the bulk that either of them had, and with a lels expence of 
water too 5 lb likewife the mint in L, in whofe water was di{^ 
folved a fmall quantity of good garden-mould, tho' it had the 
difadvantage when firft fet, to be lefs than either of the mints in 
H or I, whofe water was the very fame with this in L, but 
without any of that earth mixed with it, yet ina fliort time the 
plant L not only overtook, but much outllripped thofe, and at 
the end of the experiment was confiderably larger and heavier 
than either of them , in like manner the mint in N, tho* lefs at 
the beginning than that in M, being iht in the thick, turbid, 
feculent water that remained behind, after that, wherein M 
was placed, was diftilled off, had more than double its origi- 
nal weight and bulk, and received above twice the additional 
increafe of the plant in M, which flood in the thinner diflilled 
watery and what is no lels confiderable, had not drawn ofFhalf 
the quantity of water that that had^ the reafon why the Do6lor 
limits the proportion of the augment of the plant to the quan- 
tity of proper terreflrial matter in the water, is, because all, 
even the vegetable matter, to fay nothing of the mineral fort, 
is not proper for thenourifhment of every plant; there may be, 
and doubtlefs there are fome parts in different fpecies of plants 
that may be much alike, and fo owe their fupply to the fame 
common matter, but it is plain, all cannot- and there are other 
parts lb differing, that it is no ways credible they /liould be 
formed all out of the fame fort of corpufcles; fo far from ir, 
that there are not wanting good indications, as fliall be feen by 
and by, that every kind of vegetable requires a peculiar and 
fpecific matter for its formation and nourilhment; yea, each 
part of the fame vegetable does fo, and there are feveral diffe- 
rent ingredients that go into the compofition of the fame indi- 
vidual plant: If therefore the foil, wherein any vegetable or 
feed is planted, contains all or moft of thefe ingredients, and 
thole in a proper quantity, it will grow and thrive there, 
otherwife it v^ ill not; if there be not fo many forts of corpuf- 
cles, as are requifite for the conflitution of the main and more 
effential parts of the plant, it will not thrive at all; if there be 
thefe, and they not in fuiiicient plenty, it will ftarve, and never 
arrive 
