t us ] 



potatoe-plants appeared to be fome- 

 what better. This air is undoubt- 

 edly the very air of the vegetable 

 unaltered. I placed all thofe vege- 

 tables feparately near the fire in 

 water, and by examining the air 

 difengaged from them I found it 

 to be of a much worfe quality than 

 that which I obtained by fqueezing ; 

 and by trying the air extracted from 

 them by actual ebullition, I found it 

 to be poifonous, and to extinguifli 

 flame. The air from an apple ob- 

 tained by boiling was fo bad, that 

 one meafure of it with one of ni- 

 trous air occupied 1.7 1. Now thefe 

 very plants, placed in the fame wa- 

 ter in the fun-fhine, yield very fine 

 dephlogifticated air, and by fermen- 

 tation they yield fixed air. Is it 

 therefore not probable, that the 

 very air contained in the plant in 

 I 2 its 



