334 Of Vegetation. 



in a dry feafon the fibres fooner harden, and 

 ftop the further growth of the fhoot 5 and 

 this may probably be one reafon why the 

 two or three laft joynts of every fhoot are 

 ufually fhorter than the middle joynts ; viz. 

 becaufe they mooting out in the more advan- 

 ced hoc dry fummer feafon, their fibres are 

 foon hardened and dryed, and are witha! 

 checked in their growth by the cool 

 autumnal nights: I had a vine fhoot of one 

 year's growth which was 14 feet long, and 

 had 39 joynts, all pretty nearly of an equal 

 length, except fome of the firft and laft. 



And for the fame reafon, Beans and many 

 other plants, which ftand where they are 

 much (haded, being thereby kept continually 

 moift, do grow to unufual heights, and are 

 drawn up asthey callit by the over fnadow- 

 ing Trees, their parts being kept long, foft 

 and ductile : But this very moift fhaded ftate 

 is ufually attended with fterility ; very long 

 joynts of vines are alio obferved to be un- 

 fruitful. 



This Experiment, which (hews the manner 

 of the growth of moots, confirms BareU 

 lis opinion, who in his Book "De motti 

 Anima!ium } part fecond Chap. i$ r fup- 



pofes 



