V E G 
The ojafs P, Plyde-Park conduit water : in this he 
fixed a gkis tube ten inches long, the bore one fixth 
* of an inch diameter, filled with very fine and white 
fand, which he kept from falling down out of the 
tube into the phial, by tying a fine piece of filk over 
that end of the tube that was downwards. Upon 
immerfion of the lower end of it into the water, this, 
by little and little, afcended quite up to the orifice 
ot the tube, and yet in all the 56 days that it flood 
thus, a very inconfiderable quantity of water had gone 
off, viz. fcarcely 20 grains, though the land conti- 
nued moift up to the top till the very lad. 
The- water had imparted a green tinCture to the fand 
quite to the very top of the tube, and in the phial it 
had precipitated a greenifh fediment mixed with black. 
To the bottom and fides of the tube, as far as it was 
immerfed in the water, adhered pretty much of the 
green fubflance defcribed above. 
Other like tubes he filled with cotton, lint, pith of 
Elder, and feveral other porous vegetable fubftances, 
letting fome of them in clear water, others in water 
tinged with Saffron, Cochineal, &c. and feveral other 
trials were made, in order to give a mechanical repre- 
fentation of the motion and diftribution of the juices 
in plants, and of fome other phenomena obfervable 
in Vegetation. 
Several plants being alfo fet in the phials Q, R, S, 
&c. ordered in like manner as thofe above in O&o- 
ber, and the following colder months thofe throve 
not near fo much ; nor did the water afcend nigh 
the quantity it did in the hotter feafons, in which the 
before cited trials were made. 
The refult of all which experiments he gives us in the 
following obfervations and reflections : 
I. In plants of the fame kind , the lefs they are in hulk , 
the fnaller quantity of the fluid mafs in which they 
are fet is drawn off ; the confumption where the mafs 
is of equal thicknefs, being pretty nearly proportioned to 
the bulk of the plant. 
In effeCt, the water feems to afcend up the veffels of 
the plants, in much the fame manner as up a filtre; 
and it is not to be wondered at, that the larger filtre 
fhould draw off more water than the fmaller ; or that 
a plant that hath more or larger veffels, fhould take 
up a greater part of the fluid in which it is fet, than 
one that has fewer can. Nor is it thus noted as a 
thing very confiderable in itfelf, but chiefly with re- 
gard to what follows : 
II. Much the greater part of the fluid mafs , thus drawn 
off, and conveyed into the plant , does not fettle or 
abide there, but paffes through their pores, and exhales 
up into the atmofphere . 
That the water in thefe experiments, afcended only 
through the veffels of the plants is certain, fince 
fome glaffes, which had no plants in them, though 
difpoied in the like manner as the reft, did remain, at 
the end of the experiment, as at firft, and without 
any diminution of water, and that the greateft part of 
it flies off from the plant into the atmofphere, is as 
certain. 
The leaft proportion of the water expended was to 
the augment of the plant, as 46 or 50 to 1 ; and in 
fome 100, 200 in 1, as 700 to 1. 
Thus fo continual an emiflion of water, in fo great 
plenty, from the parts of the plant, affords a manifeft 
reafon, why countries that abound with trees, and 
the larger vegetables efpecially, fhould be very ob- 
noxious to damp, great humidity in the air, and more 
frequent rains, than others that are more open and 
free. 
The great moifture of the air was a great inconveni- 
ence and annoyance to thofe who firft fettled in Ame- 
rica, which at that time was overgrown with woods 
and groves ; but as thefe were burnt down and de- 
ftroyed, to make way for habitations, and the culture 
V E G 
of the earth, the air mending, changed into a tempe- 
rature more ferene and dry than before. 
Nor does this humidity go off pure and alone, But 
Ufually carries with it many parts of the fame nature 
with those whereof the plant confifts ; the craffer in- 
deed are not fo eafily borne itp into the atmdfphere^ 
but arc ufually depofited on the furface of the leaves, 
flowers, and other parts of the plants j whence pro- 
ceed our mannas, our honeys, and other gummqus 
exfudations of vegetables ; but the finer and lighter 
parts are with greater cafe lent up into the atmofphere, 
thence they are conveyed to our organs of fmellihg* 
by the air we draw in refpiration, and are pleafant 
or offenfive, beneficent or injurious to us, according 
to the nature of the plants from whence they arife : 
and fince thefe owe their rife to the water that afcends 
out of the earth through the bodies of plants, we 
cannot be far to feek for the caufe why they are more 
numerous in the air, and a greater quantity of odours 
is found exhaling from vegetables in warm humid fea- 
fons, than in any other. 
III. A greater part of the terreftrial matter that is mix- 
ed with water, afcends Up into the plant as well as 
the "water. 
There was much more terreftrial matter at the end of 
the experiment, in the water of the glaffes that had 
no plants in them, than in thofe that had plants. The 
garden mould diffolved in fome of the glaffes was 
confiderably diminifhed, and carried off; nay, the ter- 
reftrial and vegetable matter was borne up in the 
tubes filled with fand, cotton, &C. in that quantity 
as to be evident even to fenfe ; and the bodies in the 
cavities of the other tubes, that had their lower ends 
immerfed in water, wherein Saffron, Cochineal, &c. 
had been infufed, were tinged with yellow, purple, &c. 
To look abroad a little towards our fhores and parts 
within the verge of the fea, thefe will prefeht us with 
a large fcene of plants, that, along with the vegeta- 
bles, take up more mineral matter alfo in great abun- 
dance ; fuch as our Sea Purflain, feveral forts of Al- 
gas, of Samphires, and other marine plants ; thofe 
contain common fea falts, which are the fame as the 
foflil, in fuch plenty, as not only plainly to be diftin- 
guifhed in the palate, but may be drawn out of them 
in a confiderable quantity ; nay fome affirm there are 
plants found, that will yield nitre and other mineral 
falts. 
The vegetable matter, being very fine and light, is 
furprifingly apt and dilpofed to attend water in all its 
motions, and follow into each of its receffes,as appears 
not only from the inftances above alledged, but many 
others percolate it with all the care imaginable, filtre 
it with ever fo many filtrations, yet fome terreftrial 
matter will remain. 
Dr. Woodward has filtred water thro’ feveral fheets of 
thick paper, and after that through very clofe fine 
cloth, twelve times double, and this over and over 5 
and yet a confiderable quantity of this matter difco- 
vered itfelf in the water after all. 
Now if it thus paffes interftices that are fo very final! 
and fine along with the water, it is lefs ftrange it 
fhould attend it in its paffage through the ducfts and 
paffages of plants. It is true filtring and diftilling of 
water interrupts, and makes it quit fome of the earthy- 
matter it was before impregnated withal ; but then 
that which continues with the water after this, is fine 
and light, and fuch confequently, as is in a peculiar 
manner fit for the growth and nourifhment of vege- 
tables. 
And this is the cafe of rain waten The quantity of 
terreftrial matter it bears up into the atmofphere is not 
great ; but what it doth bear up is chiefly of that 
light kind, or vegetable matter, and that too perfect- 
ly diffolved, and reduced to Angle corpufcles, all fit 
to enter the tubes and veffels of plants ; on which 
account it is, that this water is fo very fertile and 
prolific. 
The 
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