SECT. IX. CAUSES OF DESCENT. 1Q3 



been quite the contrary if the shoot had been al- 

 lowed to remain in its natural position. This con- 

 clusion seems at first sight to be plausible enough ; 

 but was afterwards acknowledged even by Mr. 

 Knight himself to be rather too hastily drawn; as 

 it occurred to him upon further reflection that the 

 proper juice which in other cases would have gene- 

 rated the greatest quantity of wood at the lip now 

 undermost, was, in the present case, employed in 

 the formation of roots. But although the argument 

 drawn from the above fact is thus rendered invalid, 

 the opinion of the efficacy of gravitation is by no 

 means given up by Mr. Knight, as is evident from 

 a subsequent attempt to account for the descent of 

 the radicle upon the same principle as stated in a 

 foregoing chapter. 



Capillary attraction.- This though enumerated Capillary 

 by Mr. Knight as a cause of the descent of the attraction ' 

 proper juice, is not much insisted on. And indeed 

 it is plain from the known laws by which this 

 species of attraction is regulated, that it could be 

 but of little avail in operating the alleged effect; 

 if indeed, it is at all applicable to the case in 

 question. 



The waving motion of the plant. Part of the Waving 

 stem of a number of young seedling Apple-trees 

 was bound by means of stakes and bandages of 

 hay, so as to prevent all motion from the action of 

 winds to the height of three feet. The upper part 

 of the stem which was kept in motion by the winds 



VOL. TI. O 



>*:: 



