Mifcellanea Curiofa. a a 5 



meerly foftens and relaxes the Earth \ by that 

 means rendering it more capable of entering the 

 Seeds and Vegetables let in it, in order to their 

 Nourimment, than otherwife it would have been* 

 The Properties of Lime are well known ; and 

 how apt 'tis to be put into Ferment and Commo- 

 tion by Water. Nor can fuch Commotio 

 ever happen when Lime is mix\i with Earth, 

 however hard and clodded that may be, without 

 opening and loolening of it, 



4. The Plant is more or lefs nourifldd and aug- 

 mented) in Proportion as the fVater, in which it 

 fiands, contains a greater or fmaller Quantity of 

 ■proper terreftiai Matter in it. The Truth of 

 this Proportion is fb eminently difcernable 

 through the whole Procefs of thefe Trials, 

 that I think no doubt can be made of it. The 

 Mint in the Glafs C, was of much the fame 

 Bulk and Weight with thofe in A and B. 

 But the Water, in which that was, being 

 River -water, which was apparently ftored more 

 copioufly with terreftrial Matter, than the 

 Spring or Rain-water, wherein they flood, 

 were ; it had thriven to almoft double the 

 Bulk that either of them had, and with a lefs 

 Expence of Water too. So likewife the Mint 

 in L, in whofe Water was diffolved a fmall 

 quantity of good Garden-mould, though it had 

 the difadvantage # to be lefs, 

 when firft fet, than either of * Confer. Prop. 

 the Mints in H or I, whofe i.fupra. 

 Water was the very fame 

 with this in L, but had none of that Earth 

 mix'd with it ; yet, in a fhort time the Plant 

 not only overtook, but much out-itrip'd thofe 

 and at the end of the Experiment was wry 

 Q, con- 



