74 ARRANGEMENT OF CHEMICAL PRINCIPLES, 



Whatsoever, therefore, constitutes the grand 

 invigorating or accumulatin&principle in the food 

 of plants, must be redu/cwfe to a soluble , state., 



><'/*--* t4 .ft*"*-- V^** A'jff'f <L ) * r}~?t "* f" 



or be placed in a state of minute divisiajjjify^ ^ 

 Although water in its pure state contains hy- 

 drogene and oxygene only, as it is necessarily 

 brought in contact .with, or made to pass through 

 animal and vegetabTe^substances, (which are 

 always scattered over the surface, or contained 



in the soil,) before it can conje within reach 



^ jkt,4~tr-^t*&& z* "* 



of thg roots, it dissolves, OJtei.'Combit*cs and 



carries^with it the carbonaceous matter.^^jj^ 

 Plants possess the power of decomposing wa- 



-^i. f ' r rT ' I.. - 



ter^^ndj^Ttge CQiqpQsition^if their own yarious^ 

 6ubstan_ces\of retaining and ^pplyin^ the carbon. 



hjxlrogeiie, and earth, and a portion of oxygene,^ 



and at the same time ofjen!ilij3g ^^ 

 oxygene as excrementitious. 



Animals by respiration decompose the atmo- 

 spheric air, retaining the oxygene, and emitting 

 the nitrogene. 



Animals and v^f^blesjg^ 



and left to spontaneous decay, are. .de composed 

 by fermentation, and by this 'process, carbon, and 

 earth are deposited, and oxygene, which is in- 

 reased by absorption, is disposed of, by^part 

 formmg^cafbonic oxyde, and part carbonic acid 

 gas : thehydroggne and mtrjpgepe_ are 



