WATER. 



in an open channel, expofed to the aftion and influence of 

 t!ie air. 



The water of fprings arifes and is caufed by rain, and 

 from mifts and moifture in the atmofphere ; which falling 

 upon the hills and higher grounds, as well as other parts, 

 foak in and fink down into the earth, paffing along between 

 the different ftrata, until they find a vent or outlet in the 

 form of a fpring. See Draining of Land, Spring, and 

 Wall. Alfo SfRit^o-Drainlng. 



It is only under certain circumftances that fpring-water 

 can be applied over the furface of grafs-land with much be- 

 nefit ; as where it is confiderably impregnated and loaded 

 with particular forts of materials, as thofe of the calcareous, 

 and perhaps fome other kinds. 



A late philofophical writer has remarked, that the neceffity 

 of much water in the progrefs of the growth of plants or 

 their vegetation, is (hewn by the great quantity which exifts 

 naturally in all parts of them ; infomuch that many roots, as 

 thofe of the fquill and rhubarb, are known to lofe about fix 

 parts out of feven of their original weight, fimply by dry- 

 ing them before the fire ; which quantity of moillure never- 

 thelefs does not exhale in the common heat of the atmo- 

 fphere during the life of the root ; as may be feen in the 

 growth of fquills in the (hop of the druggift, and of onions 

 on the floors of the ftore-rooms of the feedfman. And 

 that a fecond neceffity of much water in the economy of 

 their vegetation or growth may be deduced from the great 

 perfpiration of them, which appears from the experiments 

 of Hales and others, who, like Sanftorius, have, it is faid, 

 eftimated the quantity of perfpiration from their daily lofs 

 of weight ; which, however, it is fuggefted, is not an ac- 

 curate conclufion, either in refpeft to plants or animals, as 

 they both abforb moifture from the atmofphere, as well as 

 perfpire it. But that this great perfpiration of vegetables, 

 like that from the fldn and lungs of animals, does not ap- 

 pear to confift of excrementitious matter, becaufe it has in 

 general no putrefcent fmell or tafte, but feems to be fecreted 

 firfl for the purpofe of keeping the external furface of the 

 leaves from becoming dry,which would prevent the oxygen of 

 the atmofphere from entering into the vegetable blood or juice 

 through them ; fince, according to the experiments of Dr. 

 PrielUey on animal membranes, the oxygen will only pafs 

 through them when they are moift. A fecond ufe of this 

 great perfpiration is, it is faid, to keep the bark fupple by 

 its moifture, and thus to prevent its being cracked by the 

 motion of the branches in the wind. And though a great 

 part of this perfpirable matter is probably abforbed, as on 

 the flcins of animals, yet as it exifts on fo large a furface of 

 leaves and twigs, much of it muft neceffarily evaporate on 

 dry and windy days. 



And the difcovery of the decompofition of water has, it 

 is faid, led to a third great ufe of water in the vegetable 

 economy, which is probably owing to its ready decompo- 

 fition by their organs of digeftion, fanguification, or juice- 

 forming, and fecretion. This is evinced, it is thought, firft, 

 by the great quantity of hydrogen which exifts in the cora- 

 pofition of many of their inflammable parts ; and fecondly, 

 from the curious circumftance which was firft difcovered by 

 the ingenious Dr. Prieftley, that the water which they per- 

 fpire is hyper-oxygenated, and in confequence always 

 ready to part with its fuperabundance of oxygen, when 

 expofed to the fun's light ; whence it may be concluded, it 

 is thought, that a part of the hydrogen, which was pre- 

 vioudy an ingredient of this water, has been feparated from 

 it, and ufed in the vegetable economy. And that, from the 

 decompofition of water, when confined in contaft with air 

 beneath the foil, the nitrous acid feems to be produced, and 

 Vol. XXXVIII. 



ammonia, both of which are believed to be ufeful to vegeta- 

 tion and the growth of plants. 



But that, befide thefe peculiar ufes of a great quantity 

 of water, the more common ufes of it both to vegetable and 

 animal life, along with caloric or the matter of heat, are to 

 produce or preferve a due fupplenefs or lubricity of the fo- 

 lids, and a due degree of fluidity of liquids which they 

 contain or circulate ; and, laftly, for the purpofe of dif- 

 folving or diff^ufing in it other fohd or fluid fubftances, and 

 thus rendering them capable of abforption, circulation, and 

 fecretion. 



It is beneficial, too, in the view of promoting the ferti- 

 lity of grafs-lands, by the occafional fuffufion or flowing it 

 over them, by which it not only fupplies fimple moifture for 

 the purpofes above noticed in the drier parts of the feafon, 

 but brings along with it calcareous earth and azotic air 

 from the neighbouring fprings in many inftances, or other 

 manures from the rivers and brooks. Still another benefi- 

 cial confequence of it is to give a due penetrability to the 

 foil or mould, which otherwife, in moft fituations, becomes 

 fo ftiflF and hard, as to ftop the elongation and diftenfion of 

 the tender roots of plants ; but neverthelefs, the cohefion 

 of the foil or earthy particles may be too much or too 

 greatly diminiftied or leflened, by great and perpetual moif- 

 ture, fo as not to give fufficient firmnefs to the roots of 

 trees or plants. It may alfo be injurious in fome cafes, as 

 in very hafty fliowers, by wafliing off^ and taking away 

 much of the decompofing animal and vegetable recrements, 

 which are foluble or diffufible in it, and carrying them 

 down the rivers and brooks into the fea ; and from the fides 

 of hills, injury in this way is produced by fmall fliowers ; 

 and the evaporation of water or moifture from the furface 

 of the earth may produce fo much cold as to injure fuch 

 terreftrial plants as are too long covered with it. 



The author of the " Elements of Agricultural Che- 

 miftry" has concluded, that water is abfolutely neceffary to 

 the economy of vegetation, both in its elaftic and fluid 

 ftate ; and that it is not devoid of ufe, even in its fohd 

 form. Snow and ice are, it is faid, bad conduftors of heat ; 

 and that, confequently, when the ground is covered with 

 fnow, or the furface of the foil or of water is frozen, the 

 roots or bulbs of the plants beneath are protefted by the 

 congealed water from the influence of the atmofphere, the 

 temperature of which, in northern winters, is ufually very 

 much below the freezing-point ; and this water becomes the 

 firft nouriftiment of the plants in early fpring. The ex- 

 panfion of water too during its congelation, at which time 

 its volume increafes one-twelfth, and its contraftion of bulk 

 during a thaw, tend, it is obferved, to pulverize the foil, to 

 feparate the parts of it from each other, and to make it 

 more permeable to the influence of the air, and the fibres of 

 the roots of vegetables. 



Water alfo, as conftituting the daily neceflary drink of 

 the different forts of domeftic animals which form the live- 

 ftock of the farmer, is always to be particularly attended 

 to, and to be provided as fully and of as good quality as 

 can poffibly be met with j as fuch ftock conftantly do beft 

 where they have plenty of water. See Pond, and Live- 

 StorL 



Application of water, whether of ponds, brooks, rivers, 

 or other kinds, to the purpofe of fiftieries, is likewife a 

 matter of great individual utility and benefit, as well as ge- 

 neral national advantage. It is the means of irtcreafing 

 a moft ufeful fort of food in almoft an unlimited manner, 

 at very little coft or expence. It provides much profitable 

 labour and employment to fome of the working clafles of 

 fociety ; and from th« trifling charge incurred in providing it, 

 E and 



