^b Of Pasture of Plants. Chap. III. 



the Pafture of Plants -, and that thele do not enter 

 intire into Roots, neither does any other of the earthy- 

 Charge that any Water contains ; except fuch fine 

 Particles which have already pafs'd thro' the Vegeta- 

 ble VefTels, and been thence exhal'd. 



This Conjecture is the more probable, for that 

 Rain -Water is as nourifhing to Plants fet therein 

 as Spring-Water, tho' the latter have more Earth 

 in it ; and tho' Spring-water have fome Particles in 

 it that will enter intire into Roots, yet we muft 

 confider, that even that Water may have been many 

 times exhal'd into the Air, and may have ftill retain'd 

 a great Quantity of Vegetable Particles, which it re- 

 ceived from Vegetable Exhalations in the Atmofphere; 

 tho' not fo great a Quantity as Rain-water, that 

 comes immediately thence. 



Thefe, I have to do with, are the Particles which 

 Plants have from the Earth, or Soil ♦, but they have 

 alfo fine Particles of Earth from Water, which may 

 impart fome of its fined Charge to the Superficies of 

 Roots, as well as to the Superficies of -the Parts of 

 the Earth (a) which makes the Pafture of Plants. 



Yet it feems, that much of the Earth, contain'd in 

 the cleared Water, is there in too large Parts to enter 

 a Root; fince we fee, that in a fhort time the Root's 

 Superficies will, in the pureft Water, be cover'd with 

 1 th, which is then form'd into a terrene Pafture, 

 which may nourifh Roots -, but very few Plants will 

 jive long in fo thin a Pafture, as any Water affords 

 .;. I cannot find one as yet that has liv'd a Year, 

 without fome Earth have been added to it, 



And all Aquatics, that 1 know, have their Roots 

 in the Earth, the/ cover'd with Water. 



The Pores, Cavities, or Interfaces of the Earth, 

 being of two Sorts, viz. Natural and Artificial ; the 



(a) If Water does fepsrate, srd take any of the mere Tahu- 



ons 



iuv. of Plants from the Soil, it gives much more to it. 



