Chap. 6. of Nature in Vegetation. i6^ 



alledged, but many others. Percolate \t with 

 all the Care imaginable 3 fiiter it with ne- - 

 verfo many Filtrations, yet fome Terreftrial 

 Matter will remain. 'Tis true, the Fluid will 

 be thinner every time than other, and more 

 difengag'd of the faid Matter, but never 

 wholly free and clear. I have filtred Water 

 through feveral wholly free and clear Sheets 

 of thick taper 5 and after that, through very 

 clofe fine Cloth twelve times doubled 5 nay, I 

 have done this over and over, and yet a con- 

 fiderable Quantity of this Matter difcover*d 

 itfelf in the Water, after all. Now if it 

 thus pafs Interjlices^ that are iovtxy fmall and 

 fine^ along with the Water, 'tis the lefsftrange 

 it fhould attend it in its Paflage through the 

 BuEls anft VeJJels of Plants. 'Tis true, fil- 

 tering and difiilling of Water intercepts and 

 makes it quit fome of the Earthy Matter it 

 was before impregnated withal 5 but then 

 that which continues with the Water after this,f 

 is/7z^and light ^ and fuch confequently as is in 

 a peculiar manner fit for the Growth and l^ou- 

 ripment of Vegetables. And this is the Cafe 

 of Rain-Water. The Quantity of Terrejirial 

 Matter it bears up into the Atmofphere is not 

 great 5 but that which it does bear up is main- 

 ly of that light kind oi Vegetable Matter, and 

 that too perfedly dijjolved, and reduced to 

 fingle Corpufcles, all fit to enter the Tubules 

 and Veflels of Plants. On which account 

 'tis that this Water is fo ycry fertile ^ndproli- 

 fick 



The 



