i}6 Of Vegetation. 



ufually ihorter than the middle joints, viz* 

 becaufe they mooting out in the more ad- 

 vanced hot dry fummer feafon, their fibres 

 are foon hardened and dried, and are withal 

 checked in their growth by the cool autum- 

 nal nights : I had a Vine-moot of one year's 

 growth, which was 14 feet long, and had 39 

 joints, all pretty nearly of an equal length, 

 except fome of the firft and laft. 



And for the fame reafon, Beans and many 

 other plants, which (land where they are 

 much (haded, being thereby kept continually 

 moift:, do grow to unufual heights, and are 

 drawn up, as they call it, by the cver-fhadow- 

 ing trees, their parts being kept long, foft 

 and dudlile : j But this very moift (haded (fate 

 is ufually attended with fterility; very long 

 joints of Vines are alio obferved to be un- 

 fruitful. 



This Experiment, which (hews the man- 

 ner of the growth of (hoots, confirms Bore Hi's 

 opinion, who, in his Book De mctu Ani- 

 malium, Pare fecond, Chap. 13. fuppofes 

 the tender growing (hoot to be diftended, 

 like fofc wax, by the expanfion of the moi- 

 fture in the fpongy pith ; which dilating 

 moifturc, he with good reafon concludes, 

 is hindered from returning back, (while it 



expands) 



