66 Vegetable Staticks. 



prefenr, but alfo furnifhing them with a 

 frefh fupply of moifture towards the great 

 expences of the fucceeding day. 



Tis therefore probable, that the roots of 

 trees and plants are thus, by means of the 

 Suns- warmth, conftantly irrigated with 

 frefh fupplies of moifture 3 which, by the 

 fame means, infinuates it felf with fome 

 vigour into the roots. For if the moifture 

 of the earth were not thus aftuated, the roots 

 inuft then receive all their nourishment 

 meerly by imbibing the next adjoining 

 moifture from the earth 5 and confequent- 

 ly the {hell of earth, next the furface of the 

 roots , would always be confiderably drier 

 the nearer it is to the root 5 which I have not 

 obferved to be fo. And by Exper. 1 8 and 

 19, the roots would be very hard put to it, 

 to imbibe fufficient moifture in dry fum- 

 mer weather, if it were not thus conveyed 

 to them, by the penetrating warmth of the 

 Sun : Whence by the fame genial heat, in 

 conjunction with the attraction of the capil- 

 lary fap veflels,* it is carried up thro' the 

 bodies and branches of vegetables, and 

 thence palling into the leaves, it is there 

 mod vigorously acted upon, in thofe thin 



plates. 



