By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 243 



the leaves of ever green trees : and upon the mould being 

 turned out of the pots, it was found to be every where sur- 

 rounded by just such an interwoven mass of roots, as would 

 have been emitted by perfect plants of the same species. 

 These roots presented the usual character of those organs, 

 and consisted of medulla, alburnum, bark, and epidermis ; 

 and as the leaf itself, during the growth of these, increased 

 greatly in weight, the evidence that it generated the true 

 sap, which was expended in their formation, appears perfectly 

 conclusive. 



Supposing the leaves of the Melon plant to possess (as I 

 do not entertain a shadow of doubt that they do) powers si- 

 milar to those of the Mint above mentioned, and of other 

 plants ; and that all the foliage may be made to contribute 

 to feed a single fruit, it is not easy to conceive by what means 

 this can be done, without the circulation of a very large por- 

 tion of the true sap of the plant, even of that generated in its 

 most distant foliage, through such single fruit, be assumed. 

 And it appears difficult upon any other grounds to account 

 for the extremely rapid growth which, under such circum- 

 stances, takes place in a single fruit, with the influence of the 

 fruit upon the most distant parts of the plant, and the depen- 

 dence of the ultimate weight and perfection of the fruit upon 

 the extent of the foliage of the plant. In an experiment 

 which I made some years ago, a single Melon, of the Rock 

 Canteloup variety, grew upon a plant which occupied more 

 than thirty feet of the surface of a hot-bed, but under green 

 glass of ordinary quality : where it acquired the weight of 

 thirteen and a half pounds, having during its growth given the 

 whole plant full employment, and apparently put the services 



