3 6 Vegetable Staticks . 
the ground, and that being a denfer medi- 
um, it was much hotter than a more rare 
medium. 
And perhaps, the great volume of amend- 
ing vapour might make the Sun-beams con- 
verge a little toward the middle of the ground, 
that being a denfer medium, and thereby 
increafe the heat confiderably ; for I obferv- 
ed, that the courfe of the fcorched hops 
was in a line at right angles, to the Sun- 
beams about eleven a clock, at which time 
the hot gleam was : The hop-ground was 
in a valley which run from South-weft to 
North-eaft : And to the beft of my remem- 
brance there was then but little wind, and 
that in the courfe of the fcorch* but had 
there been fome other gentle wind, either 
North or South, 'tis not improbable but 
that the North wind gently blowing the 
Volume of rifing wreak on the South fide 
of the ground, that fide might have been 
moft fcorched, and fo vice verfL 
As to particular fire-blafts, which fcorch 
here and there a few hop-vines, or one or 
two branches of a tree, without damaging 
the next adjoining 5 what AJlronomers ob- 
ferve, may hint to us a no very improbable 
caufc 
