28 Of Pasture of Plants. Chap. IIL 



be extravagant to fay, ten times as many : Or that, in 

 Cafe Agriculture were a little improved (as I hope to 

 fhew is not difficult to be done), it might maintain 

 twice as many more yet, or the fame Number, better. 



The natural Pafture is not only lefs than the ar- 

 tificial, in an equal Quantity of Earth ; but alfo, 

 that little confiding in the Superficies of Pores, or 

 Cavities, not having a free Communication {a) with 

 one another, being lefs pervious to the Roots of all 

 Vegetables, and requiring a greater Force to break 

 thro' their Partitions ; by that Means, Roots, efpe- 

 cially of weak Plants, are excluded from many of 

 thofe Cavities, and fo lofe the Benefit of them. 



But the artificial Pafture confifts in Superficies of 

 Cavities, that are pervious to all Manner of Roots, 

 and that afford them free PafTage and Entertainment 

 in and thro' all their RecefTes. Roots may here ex- 

 tend to the utmoft, without meeting with any Barri- 

 cadoes in their Way. 



The internal Superficies, which is the natural Pa-* 

 fture of Plants, is like the external Superficies or 



after its artificial Pafture was loft ; whereby all the Plants in it hav- 

 ing only the natural Failure to fubfift on, became fo extremely 

 piall and nufait that they were not able to exhauft the Land of 

 fo great a Quantity of the (vegetable) nourifhing Particles as the 

 Atmofphere brought down to it. 



And when by Pulveration the artificial Pafture came to be add- 

 ed to this natural Pafture (not much exhausted), and nothing at 

 all fafiered to grow out of it for above Three Quarters of a Year, 

 it became rich enough, without any Manure, to produce this ex- 

 traordinary Effect upon the Vegetables, whole Roots reached into 

 it. How long this Effect may continue, is uncertain: but I may 

 venture to fay, it will continue until the Exhauftion by Vegetables 

 doth over- balance the Defcent of the Atmofphere, and the Pul- 

 veration. 



And what I have faid of any one Species of Plants in this Re- 

 fpecl may be generally apply 'd to the reft. 



[a) Norie of the natural Vegetable Pafture is loft or injured 

 by the artificial ? but on the contrary, 'tis mended by being 

 mift'd with it. and by having a greater Communication betwixt 

 Pore si ' ; 



Surface 



