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eds whereof hare befen long sough 

 And it is certain, if you only range in Ap 

 of horse dung as big as ones fist in lines thi 

 distant from each other, and one foot undt 

 ground, covering them all over with mould, ana 

 again with horse dung, in the beginning of August t 

 upper pieces of dung will begin to grow white, being 

 covered with fine white threads, woven about the straws 

 whereof the dung is composed. By degrees the ex- 

 tremities of these threads grow round into a kind of 

 butfon ; which enlarging itself by little and little, at 

 length forms itself into a mushroom. At the foot of 

 each when at its fui! growth, is an infinity of little 

 ones. The white threads of the clung preserve them, 

 selves a long time without rotting, if kept dry. And 

 if they are laid again in the ground, they will pro- 

 tluce new mushrooms. 



" Are these then any thing else than the monldi- 

 ness or putrefaction of horse dun^ ?" Yes, certainly. 

 Indeed all mouldiness so called, is a congeries of very 

 small plants. And these in particular like other 

 plants, have their origin from seeds. But before the 

 seeds can vegetate, there are required certain juices, 

 proper to penetrate their coats, to excite a fermen- 

 tation in them, and to nourishthe minute parts thereof. 

 Hence arises that vast diversity of places ; wherein 

 different sorts of this plant are produced. Some will 

 only grow on other particular plants, whose trunks 

 or roots have the juices proper for them. Nay, 

 there is one sort which grows only on the fillets and 

 bandages of the patients in the hospital at Paris. It 

 is not therefore at all surprising that horse dung 

 should be a fit soil for common mushrooms, it is 

 probable the seeds of these are spread in numberless 

 places, well nigh throughout the whole earth. And 

 the same may be sai;l concerning the seeds of many 

 plants as well as the eggs of many insects ; more es- 

 pecially of those which are so minute, that we can 

 scarce discern them even with glasses, seeing the 

 smaller they are, the more easily may the least wind 



