li A Treatise on Vegetation, ^c. 



Sand, is by naturaliils, generally ranked as a fpecies 

 of Earth, though I think very improperly; for fand, 

 ftridly fpeaking, is a fort of chryftal, divided into fmall 

 tranfparent pebbles, calcinable by the addition of a fixt 

 alkaline fair, and becomes fufible and convertible into 

 glafs. 



Earth is rendered fertile by means of fand, and be- 

 comes fit to feed and nourifli vegetables, and vegetate ; 

 fuch Earth, by itfelf, is liable to coalefce into an hard 

 coherent mafs, and, while thus embodied, and as it were 

 glued together, will be very unfit for the nourifhment 

 of plants ; but where hard fands, {whofe chryftalline 

 particles are indifioiuble bv water, and therefore always 

 retain their priftine figures) are intermixed, they keep 

 the pores of the Earth open, and render it in fome mea- 

 fure organical, the juices thereby being eafily conveyed, 

 prepared, digefled, circulated, and at length emitted by 

 ftrainers and thrown off in the roots of plants. 



Earth is made up of two parts ; the firlf the contain- 

 ing part, 7, e. the Body, Bed or Couch ; the fecond, the 

 part contained, wz. the Nitrous or Sulphureous Parti- 

 cles, or Prolific Salts. The firft is but a lifelefs mafs, 

 and is no more than the receptacle of the other, and 

 when confidered, fimply abftra6ted from the prolific 

 falts with which it is repleniflied, is a lifelefs, dead, ina- 

 nimate body ; but when, by the co-operation of water, 

 fun, and air, it is put into motion, it then promotes and 

 carries on the work of vegetation. 



Vegetables are natural bodies, organically formed, but 

 without fenfation of fpontaneous motion, adhering to 

 another body in fuch a m.mner as to draw from it its 

 nnuriiliment, and having power of propagating itfelf by 

 feed. 



By its confifcing of veflels and juices, it is diftinguifh- 

 ed from a Foffil which is dug out of the Earth ; and dif- 

 fers from an animal by its adhering to another body, 

 and deriviRg its nourifhment therefrom. 



Vegetation is the act wherebv plants receive nourilli- 

 ment and grow ; or rather that concourfe of afts be- 

 tween Vegetables and the Earth, properly compofed by 

 falts, and by the r.lfrous particles and efHuvia of the 



Earth 



