20 Of Food of Plants. Chap. II. 



5. Earth. That which nourifhes and augments a 

 Plant is the true Food of it. 



Every Plant is Earth, and the Growth and true 

 Increafe of a Plant is the Addition of more Earth. 



Nitre (or other Salts) prepares the Earth, Water 

 and Air move it, by conveying and fermenting it in 

 the Juices ; and this Motion is called Heat. 



When this additional Earth is afiimilated to the 

 Plant, it becomes an abfolute Part of it. 



Suppofe Water, Air, and Heat, could be taken 

 away, would it not remain to be a Plant, tho' a dead 

 one ? 



But fuppofe the Earth of it taken away, what would 

 then become of the Plant ? Mr. Bradley might look 

 long enough after it, before he found it in the Air 

 among his fpecific or certain Qualities. 



Befides, too much Nitre (or other Salts) corrodes 

 a Plant -, too much Water drowns it ; too much Air 

 dries the Roots of it ; too much Pleat (or Fire) burns 

 it-, but too much Earth a Plant never can have, 

 unlefs it be therein wholly buried ; and in that Cafe 

 it would be equally miiapply'd to the Body, as Air 

 or Nitre would be to the Roots. 



Too much Earth, or too fine, can never poflibly 

 be given to Roots; for they never receive fo much 

 of it as to furfeit the Plants, unlefs it be depriv'd oi 

 Leaves, which, as Lungs, mould purify it. 



And Earth is fo furely the Food of all Plants, that 

 with the proper Share of the other Elements, which 

 each Species of Plants requires, I do not find but that 

 any common Earth will nourifh any Plant. 



The only Difference of Soil (a) (except the Rich- 

 befs) feems to be the different Heat and Moifture it 



has; 



fa) A 6 I have laid in my B£ky 9 That a Soil bcinv once proter fs 

 a Species of I'cgetables, it *will ainvays continue to be fo \ it mull 

 be iuppofeu, that $ere be no Alteration of the Heat and 

 Moiftun of it ; and that im Difference I mean, is of its Quality 



of 



