33 o Of Vegetation. 



moft part of the following winter: The wa- 

 ter in the two inverted glaffes rofe and fell, 

 as it was either affeded by the different 

 weight of the Atmofphere, or by the dila- 

 tation and contraction of the air above a a. 

 But the water in the velfel in which the 

 Pepper-mint flood, rofe fo much above a a, 

 and above the furface of the water in the 

 other veffcl, that one-feventh part of that 

 air muft have been reduced to a fixt ftate, 

 either by being imbibed into the fubftance 

 of the plant, or by the vapours which arofe 

 from the plant. This was chiefly done in 

 the two or three fummer month b ; for after 

 that no more air was abforbed. The begin- 

 ning of April in the following fpring, I took 

 out the old mint, and put a frefh plant in 

 its place, to try if it would abibrb any 

 more of the air, but it faded in four or five 

 days. Yet a frefh plant put into the other 

 glafs, whofe air had been confined for nine 

 months, lived near a month, almoft as long 

 as another plant did in frefh confined air; 

 for I have found that a tender plant confined 

 in this manner in April, would not live fo 

 long as a ftronger grown plant, put in in 

 "June, 



The 



