[ 203 3 



The great increase which takes place in the trans- 

 plantation of wheat, depends upon the circumstance, 

 that each layer thrown out in tillering may be remov- 

 ed, and treated as a distinct plant. In the Philosophi- 

 cal Transactions, Vol. LV1II, p. 203, the following 

 statement may be found : Mr. C. Miller, of Cam- 

 bridge, sowed some wheat on the 2d of June, 1 766 ; 

 and on the 8th of August, a plant was taken and 

 separated into 1 8 parts, and replanted ; these plants 

 were again taken up, and divided in the months of 

 September and October, and planted separately to 

 stand the winter, which division produced 67 plants. 

 They were again taken up in March and April, and 

 produced 5OO plants : the number of ears thus form- 

 ed from one grain of wheat was 21109, which gave 

 three pecks and three quarters of corn that weighed 

 47lbs. 7ozs. j and that were estimated at 576840 

 grains. 



It is evident from the statements just given, that the 

 change which takes place in the juices of the leaf by the 

 the action of the solar light, must tend to increase the 

 proportion of inflammable matter to their other con- 

 stituent parts. And the leaves of the plants that grow 

 in darkness, or in shady places, are uniformly pale ; 

 their juices are watery and saccharine, and they do 

 not afford oils or resinous substances. I shall detail 

 an experiment on this subject. 



I tbok an equal weight, 400 grains, of the leaves 

 of two plants of endive, one bright green, which had 

 grown fully exposed to light, and the other almost 

 white, which had been secluded from light by being 



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