Vegetable Statkks. i 47 



of their fluid vehicle 5 we fhall find that 

 nature has made an abundant provision 

 for this work in the ftru&ure of vegetables 5 

 all whofe compofuion is made up of no- 

 thing clfe but innumerable fine capillary 

 veffels, and glandulous portions or vcficles. 



Upon the whole, I think we have, from 

 thefe experiments and obfervations, fuffici- 

 ent ground to believe that there is no circu- 

 lation of the fap in vegetables ,• notwith- 

 ftanding many ingenious perfons have been 

 induced to think there was, from feveral cu- 

 rious obfervations and experiments, which 

 evidently prove, that the fap does in fomc 

 meafure recede from the top towards the 

 lower parts of plants, whence they were 

 with good probability of reafon induced to 

 think that the fap circulated. 



The likelieft method effe&ually and con- 

 vincingly to determine this difficulty, whe- 

 ther the fap circulates or not, would be by 

 ocular infpedion, if that could be attained : 

 And I fee no reafon we have to defpair of 

 it, fince by the great quantities imbibed and 

 perfpired, we have good ground to think, 

 that the progreffive motion of the fap is 

 confiderable in the largeft fap veffels of 

 L z the 



