484 



W A T 



WAT 



ration, nutrition, or growth in any 

 animal, venerable, or mineral bo- 

 dies. Tlie blood could not flow in 

 the veins, the sap in the vessels of 

 vegeiables, nor the particles of mi- 

 nerals concrete or grow together, 

 without , water. Neither could 

 there be any corruption, fermenta- 

 tion, or dissolution performed with- 

 out ;t. i3ut i must noi attempt to 

 speak of all its uses, being limited 

 by rny general subject. 



Those however have grossly mis 

 taken the matter, who have sup- 

 posed water to be the sole food by 

 which vegetables are nourished ; 

 though it must be allowed to be ab- 

 solutely necessary to their nourish- 

 ment arid growth. It is an impor 

 tant agent in mixing and dissolving 

 the other ii!grcdients of the food of 

 plants; gives thcni the fermenta- 

 tion that is necessary, and is an es- 

 sentia! part of the nutritive steam 

 that enters the roots and other parts 

 of ve-jetables. And the purest wa- 

 ter contains in itself many earthy 

 particles, as appears by the crusts 

 that adhere to the insides of vessels 

 in which water is often boiled. 



Nor is water wholly destitute of 

 salts and oils. It is no wonder, 

 therefore, that a plant will live, arid 

 grow for some time, with its roots 

 thrust into a vessel of water. For 

 even in this situation, it partakes 

 of every necessary ingredient of its 

 natural food, though not in the 

 right proportions. 



Water not only serves thus as a 

 vehicle to the food of plants, but 

 carries with it where it runs in 

 streams many particles of ve^eta 

 ble mould, &c. which enrich tne 

 soil. After heavy rains, it is found j 



that water deposits a fertilizing se- 

 diment, which changes the surface 

 of the soil to a dark colour. 



W^atering the ground also pro- 

 motes the putrefaction of every 

 substance, whether animal or ve- 

 getable, contained in the soil, or 

 lying on the surface. 



Where a good head of water can 

 be made without too great an ex- 

 pense ; or where a brook, or part 

 of a river, can be so diverted from 

 its course, as to be made to spread 

 its waters over the neighbouring 

 grass grounds, it should be attend- 

 ed to, as a matter of no small im- 

 portance. But the water should 

 be perfectly under command ; 

 otherwise it may prove rather hurt- 

 ful than beneficial. Too much of 

 it would be as great an evil as too 

 little. 



Particular care should be taken 

 . that the water which is led over 

 grass grounds, be only such as is 

 tit to nourish plants, which chaly- 

 beate waters, or springs impreg- 

 nated with a mineral acid, certainly 

 are not. Such water is rather poi- 

 sonous to plants, and prevents their 

 growth. 



The quantity of water thrown 

 over the land sliould be rightly pro- 

 portioned ; a light sandy soil will 

 bear more, a siiflf soil a less quan- 

 tity, without overcharging the ves- 

 sels of the plants, or cooling them 

 too much. 



The channels should be so made 

 that the water may be communi- 

 cated to every part, excepting 

 where there are little hollows which 

 are naturally wet. The main 

 channel should be broad, and its 

 descent but just enough to cause 



