A I 



irfelf, or lodg'd in the Earth ; 

 which Salts or Juices are alter'd 

 according to the feveral Figures or 

 Dimenlions of the diflerent Strai- 

 ners or Veflels of thofe feveral 

 Plants which grow upon the fame 

 Spot of Earth, which is fo im- 

 pregnated with thefe Salts: And 

 thence thofe Varieties in Taile 

 and Smell proceed, notwithfiand- 

 ing they all receive their Nourifh- 

 ment from tho fame Stock that is 

 iodg'd in the. Earth. 



The Air alfo affeds the Branches, 

 Leaves, and Flowers of Trees, 

 Plants and Hf!:rbs, entering 3"d 

 perfpiring thro* them, and even 

 thro' the Bark and Body of the 

 Tree ; and by the fame Kind of 

 Subtilty it does, by its refrtfning 

 Breezes, moderate the Iiiteulcnels 

 of the San-beams, cooling, chcar- 

 ing, blowing, opening and ex- 

 tending all the Off-fpring of Na- 

 ture. 



The Air fixes and inlLnuates its 

 aerial Subftance into the liquid Sap 

 of Vegetables, and as all the Agi- 

 tations in Nature proceed from 

 the Contrariety of Parts inhabiting 

 together ; fo, in this, aerial and li- 

 quid Subflances being mix'd, cauie 

 this Agitation and Motion in Ve- 

 getables, or, more properly, let it . 

 all into a Ferment (whether it be 

 in the Roots or in the Stem) and 

 rifes by Co-operation of the Sun 

 ( which is the third Agent in Ve- 

 getation) up to the Top of a 

 Tree, (^c. as Liquids rife by Fire 

 to the Top of the containing 

 Veffd. 



This Air, we find, produces a 



vibratory Motion in feveral Bodies, 



and particularly in Plants j the 



Air Veflels thereof do tlie Office 



^ of Lungs: For the Mir contain'd 



I in them, fomctimes contrajfiing 



I ^ad fometimes e^-panding, accor- 



A I 



ding as the Heat is increas'd or 

 diminifi^.ed , prefies the Veffels, 

 and eafes them again by Turns, 

 and thus piomotes a Circulation 

 of their Juices, which could fcarcc 

 be other wife efeled. 



Air, fays the learned Mr. H/iles, 

 is a fine elafcick Fluid, with Par- 

 ticles of very different Natures 

 floating in it, whereby it is a1~ 

 mirably fitted by the great Author 

 ,of Nature to be the Breath of 

 Life of Vegetables a:; well as Ani- 

 mals, without which they can no 

 more live nor thrive than Animals 

 can. 



As a Proof of the great Quan- 

 tities of- Air in Vegetables, he re- 

 fers to the third Chapter of his 

 excellent Treatife of Vegetable Sta- 

 ticks, wheie, he lays, in the Expe- 

 riments on Vines, the greiL Quan- 

 tify of ^/> was viffble, which was 

 continually aicending through the 

 Sap in the Tulcsj which mani- 

 feftly fliews what Plenty of it \$ 

 taken in by Vegetables , and is 

 perfpired off with the Sap thro* 

 the Leaves. 



He adds feveral Experiments, as 

 to an Apple-Branch, Apricot-Brancht 

 Birch, and other Plants, to piove 

 the fame Thing. 



And Dr. Grew has obfcrv'd, 

 that the Pores are fo large in the 

 Trunks of fome Plants, as in 

 the better Sort of thick walking 

 Canes, that they are viiible to a 

 good Eye without a Ghfsj but, 

 with a Glafs, the Cane fee ins as 

 if ftuck at top full of Holes with 

 great Pins, fo large as very well 

 to refcmb'e the Pores of the Skin 

 in the Ends of the Fingers, and 

 Ball of the Hand. 



Whence it may be thought 

 probable, that the Air freely en- 

 ters Plants not only with the 

 principal Fond of Nourifliirsent 



G4, hf 



