- A 



JOURNAL, 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



SEPTEMBER, 1811. 



ARTICLE I. 



On the Hairs of Plants, In a Letter fram Mrs, Aone^ 

 Ibbetson. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, 



E study the larger and conspicuous parts of botany. Powerful pur- 

 but we leave with a sort of contemptuous neglect all the J° ^tt^g^^^s 

 more diminutive features, as unworthy our notice, little extremely 

 aware how much nature performs in this way, and how many ni""ip"«*' 

 great and powerful purposes are answered by apparently lit- 

 tle means, extremely multiplied. If we minutely examine 

 all the works of nature^ this will appear a very important 

 truth ; nor does any art or science show this more conspicu- 

 ously than the study of physiology, where all are multiplied 

 little means, conducing to one great and important end. 

 The subject of the present letter will peculiarly exemplify 

 this. It is on the Hairs of Plants, 



I have endeavoured to show, and I hope succeeded in No persph^ 

 proving, " that the idea of perspiration in plants is an abso- ^^°" "* pla^tij, 

 lute fable," originating from the poomes&of our magnifiers : 



Vol, XXX. No. 136,— Sept. iSll. B and 



