VEG 
iion, which are chiefly either of parts of vegetables, 
or of animals •> of animals, which either derive their 
own nouri/hment immediately from vegetable bodies, j 
or from other animals that do fo ; in particular, the 
blood, excrements, and urine of animals that do fo; 
Jhaving of horns and hoofs, hair, feathers, calcined 
foells, lees of wine and beer, afhes of all forts of ve- 
getable bodies, leaves, ftraw, roots, and ftubble, 
turned into earth by ploughing, or otherwife, to rot 
and dififolve there. 
Thefe are our befi manures ; arid, being vegetable 
fubftances, when refunded back again into the earth, 
ferve for the formation of other bodies. 
But to apply this to gardens, where the trees, fhrubs, 
and herbs, after their having continued in one ftation 
till they have derived thence the greatefl: part of the 
matter fit for their increafe, will decay and degene- 
rate, unlefs either frefli earth, or fome fit matter be 
applied to them. 
It is true they may maintain themfelves there for fome 
time, by fending forth roots farther and farther, to 
an extent 'all around, to fetch in more provifion ; but 
at laft they muft have a frefir fupply brought to them, 
or they will decay. 
All thefe inftances argue a particular terreftrial mat- 
ter, and not water, for the fubjeril to which plants 
owe their increafe ; were it water only, there would' 
be no need of manures, or changing the fpecies ; the 
rain falls in all places, in this field and in that, in- 
differently, on one fide of an orchard or garden, as 
well as the other ; nor could there be any reafon why 
a tradt of land fliould yield Wheat one year and not 
the next, fince the rain flioWers down all alike upon 
the earth. 
V. Vegetables are not formed of water, but of a certain 
■peculiar terreftrial matter. 
It has been fhewn, that there is a confiderable quan- 
tity of this matter both in fpring, rain, and river 
water *, and the experiments before-mentioned fhew, 
that the much greatefl: part of the fluid mafs that 
afcends up into plants, does not fettle or abide there, 
but paflfes through the pores of them, and exhales 
into the atmofphere ; and that a great part of the ter- 
reftrial matter mixed with the water, paflfes up into 
the plant along with it, and that the plant is more or 
lefs augmented, in proportion as the water contains a 
greater or lefs quantity of matter •, from all which we 
may reafonably infer, that earth, and not water, is 
the matter which conftitutes vegetables. 
One of the fprigs of Mint before-mentioned drew up 
into it 2501 grains of the fluid mafs, and yet had re- 
ceived but 3 4- grains of increafe from it. 
A fecond, though it had at firft the difadvantage to 
be much lefs than a third, yet being fet in water, 
wherein earth had been plentifully mixed, and the 
other in water without any fuch earth, it had vaftly 
outgrown it, weighing at leaft 145 grains more than 
that did. 
A fourth plant, though at firft a great deal lefs than 
the fifth, yet being fet in foul crafs water, that was 
left in the ftill, after that in which the laft was fet 
was drawn off, had gained in weight at the end, above 
double what that in the finer and thinner water had. 
The proportion of the augment of that plant, which 
throve mod, was in the faid mafs fpent upon it, but 
as 1 to 46 ; in others as one to 60, 100, 200 ; and in 
the Cataputia, but as 1 to 714. 
One of the fprigs took up 39 grains of water a day, 
one day with another, which was much more than the 
whole plant originally ; and yet it gained not 4. of a 
grain a day in weight. 
And -another took up 253 grains a day, which was 
near twice as much as its original weight ; and after 
all, the daily increafe .of the plant was no more than 2 
44-- grains. 
Vi. Spring and rain water contain near an equal charge of 
vegetable matter \ river water more than either of them . 
V £ G 
Thefe proportions hdld in the main, but a ftricb and 
juft compofition is hardly to be expected 5 inafniucfi 
as in all probability, the water that falls in rain, com 
tains fometimes a greater flhare of terreftrial matter, 
than that which falls at other times ; a more powerful 
and intenfe heat, of necefllty, hurrying up a larger 
quantity of that matter, along with the humid va- 
pours that form rain, than one more feeble and rernifs 
poffibly can. 
The water of one fpring may flow forth with a high- 
er charge of this matter than that of another, this 
depending partly upon the quicknefs of the ebullition 
of the water, and partly on the quantity of that mat- 
ter latent in the ftrata, thro 5 which the fluid paflfes, 
and the greater or lefs laxity of thofe ftrata 5 for the 
fame feafon the water of one river may abound with, 
it more than that bf another ; nay, the fame river, 
when much agitated and in commotion, muft bear 
up more of it, than when it moves with lefs rapidity 
and violence. That there is a great quantity of or- 
dinary fertility of the earthy the Nile affords' a preg- 
nant inftance, and fo does the Ganges and other rivers, 
which annually overflowing the neighbouring plains* 
their banks fhew the faireft and largeft: crops of any 
in the world. 
VII. W'ater ferves only for a vehicle to the terreftrial 
matter which forms vegetables , and does not itf elf make 
'any augmentation to them . 
Where the proper terreftrial matter is Wanting, the 
plant is not augmented, though never fo much water 
afcend into it : water then is not the matter that com- 
pofes vegetable bodies, it is only the agent that con- 
veys the matter into them, that diftributes it to their 
feveral parts to tlieir nourifhment ; that matter is flug- 
gifh and inactive, and would lie eternally confined to 
its beds of earth, without advancing up into plants, 
did not water or forrie like inftrument fetch it forth, 
and carry it into them. 
This fluid is capacitated feveral ways for the office 
here affigned it, by the figure of its parts, which ap- 
pears from many experiments to be exa&ly and ma- 
thematically fpherical, their furfaces being perfedly 
polite, and without any the leaft irregularities. 
It is evident, that corpufcies of fuch a figure are ea~ 
fily fufceptible of motion, and far above any others 
whatever, and confequently more capable of moving 
and conveying other matter that is not fo aeftive ; then 
the intervals of the bodies of that figure are, in re- 
fperit to their bulk, of all others the largeft, and fo 
the moil: fitted to receive and entertain foreign matter 
in them ; befides, as far as the trials hitherto made 
inform us, the conftituent corpufcies of water are 
each fingly confidered abfolutely folid, and do not 
yield to the greatefl: external force ; this fecures their 
figure againft any alteration, and the intervals of their 
corpufcies muft be always alike. 
By the latter it will be ever difpofed to receive matter 
into it ; and by the former, when once received, to 
bear it along with it. Water is farther capacitated 
to be a vehicle to this matter, by the tenuity and fine- 
nefs of the corpufcies of which it confifts. We hardly 
know any fluid in all nature, except fire, whofe cbn- 
ftituent parts are fo exceeding fubtile and fmall as 
thofe of water are ; they will pais pores and interftices 
that neither air nor any other fluid will. This ena- 
bles them to enter the tubes, and fineft vefiels of 
plants, and to introduce the terreftrial matter, and 
convey it to all parts of them, whilft each, by means 
of organs it is endued with for that purpofe, intercepts 
and aflfumes into itfelf, fuch particles as are fuitable 
to its own nature, letting the reft pafs on through the 
common dudts. 
VIII. W %ter is not capable of performing this office to 
plants, unlefs ajfifled by a due quantity of heat. 
Heat riluft concur, of Vegetation will not fucceed 
The plants fet in the glades in Odtober, and the fob 
! 3 ^ lowing 
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