334 Of!. 'egetatmi. 
in a dry feafon the fibres fooner harden, and 
flop the further growth of the flioot \ and 
this may probably be one reafon why the 
two or three laft joynts of every fhoot are 
ufually fiiorter than the middle joynts j *viz. 
becaufe they fhooting out in the more advan- 
ced hot dry fummer feafon, their fibres are 
foon hardened and dryed, and are withal 
checked in their growth by the cool 
autumnal nights: I had a vine fhoot of one 
years 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 fhaded, being thereby kept continually 
inoift, do grow to unufual heights, and are 
drawn up as they call it by the over fhadow- 
ing Trees, their parts being kept long, foft 
^and ductile : But this very m.oift fliaded ftate 
is ufually attended with fterility ; very long 
joynts of vines are alfo obferved to be un- 
fruitful. 
This Experiment, which fhews the manner 
of the growth of fhoots, confirms BoreU 
Ih opinion, who in his Book 2 )^ motu 
Anmalhm^ part fccond Chap. i3> fiip-^ 
pofes 
