V E G
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V E G
Truth of this Propofition, is difcernable thro' the whole Pro- cefs of this Author's Experiments. The Mint in one of his Glaffes, was of much the fame Bulk and Weight with that of two or three others : But the Water in which the firft was, being River Water, which was apparently ftor'd more copiouily with terreflrial Matter, than the Spring or Rain Water wherein the others flood, occafion'd it to arrive at almoft double the Bulk that either of them had, and with a lefs expence of Water too : So likewife the Mint in another Glafs, in whole Water was diffolv'd a fmall Quan- tity of good Garden-Mold ; tho it had the Bifadvantagc to be lei's, when full fet, than either of the Mints in two other Glaffes whofe Water was the very fame with the firll, only had none of the Earth mix'd with it ; yet, in a (liott time, the Plant not only overtook, but much ourftrip'd the others.
The Rcafon why the Proportion of the Increafe of the Plant is limited to the quantity of proper terreflrial" Mat- ter in the Water, is, that all, even Vegetable Matter, is not proper for the Nourilhment of every Plant : Nor do there want good Indications, that every Kind of Vegetable requires a peculiar and fpecifick Matter for its Formation and Nourilhment ; yea, each Part of the fame Vegetable : and that there are very many and different Ingredients to go to the Compofition of the fame individual Plant. If, therefore, the Soil wherein any Vegetable or Seed is planted, contains all, or moil of thefe Ingredients, and thofe in due quantity ; it will grow and thrive there ; otherwife it will not : If there be not as many fort of Corpufcles, as are re- quifite for the Conftitution of the main, and more effen- tial Parts of the Plant, it will not profper at all ; if there are thefe, and not in fufheient plenty, it will never arrive to its natural Stature : or, if there be any the lefs necef- fary and effential Corpufcles wanting, there will be fomc failure in the Plant ; it will be defective in Tatle, Smell, Colour, or fome other way.
Indeed, 'tis inconceivable how one uniform, homogeneous Matter, having its Principles, or original Parts, of the fame Subflance, Conftitution, Magnitude, Figure, and Gravity j Jhould conftitute Bodies fo unlike in all thofe refpefis, as Vegetables of different Kinds are ; nay even as the diffe- rent Parts of the fame Vegetable : That one fliould carry a refinous, another a milky, a third a yellow, a fourth a red Juice in its Veins ; one afford a fragranr, another an offen- flve Smell ; one fweet to the Tafte, another acid, bitter, acerb, auftere, £5?c. that one fliould be nourifhing, another poifonous 5 one purging, another aftringent. And this Ar- gument makes equally ftrong againfl thofe who fuppofe mere Water the Matter out of which all Bodies are form'd. A Cataputia in one of the Glaffes receiv'd but little increafe, only 3~ Grains all the while it flood, tho 2501 Grains of Water were fpent upon it : But this might poffibly be owing not to the Water's wanting Matter fit for the Nou- rifhment of that particular Plant ; but to the Water's being an improper Medium for it to grow in : Too much of that "Liquor, in fome Plants, may probably hurry the terreflrial Matter thro' the Veffels, too fail for them to lay hold of it.
But a farther Proof of this Doflrine, is, Thar the Soil, once proper for the Production of fome fort of Vegetable, does not ever continue to be fo ; but in tract of time lofes its Property ; and fooner in fome Lands, and later in othets : If Wheat, for Example, be fown upon Land proper for that Grain, the Km Crop will fucceed very well, and perhaps the fecond, and the third, as long as the Ground is in heart, as the Farmers call it 5 but in a few Tears it will produce no more, if fow'd with that Corn : Some other Grain it may, as Barley ; and after this hath been fown fo oft, that the Tand can bring forth no more of it, it may afterwards yield fome good Oats ; and perhaps Peafe after them. At length it becomes barren ; the Vegetative Matter that at firft it abounded with, being reduced by the fucceffive Crops, and moft of it borne off: Each fort of Grain takes forth that peculiar Matter, that is proper for its own Nourilhment.
It may be brought to bear another Series of the fame Vegetables .; but not till it is fupplied with a new Fund of Matter, of the like fort with what it firft contain'd 5 either by the Ground's lying fallow for fome time, till the Rain hath pout'd a frefh Stock upon it ; or by the manuting it. That this Supply is of the like fort, is evident from the fevcral Manures found belt to promote the Vegetation ; which are, chiefly, either Parts of Vegetables, or of Ani- mals : Of Animals, we fay, which either derive their own Nourilfimcnt immediately from Vegetable Bodies, or from other Animals that do fo ; in particular, rhe Blood, Urine, and Excrements of Animals; fhavings of Horns, and Hoofs; Hair, Wool, Feathers, calcin'd Shells, Lees of Wine and Beer, Allies of all forts of Vegetable Bodies, Leaves, Sttaw, Roots, and Stubble, turned into Earth by ploughing, or otherwife, to tot and diffolve there. Thefe are our bell Ma- nures ; and being vegetable Subllances, when refunded back again into the Earth, ferve for the Formation of other like Bodies. Sec Manure, and Comtost.
The Use is ohfervabie in Gardens, where the Trees; Shrubs, and Herbs, after their continuing in one Station^ nil they have derived thence the greater Part of the Mat- ter fit tor their increafe ; will decay and degenerate ; unlefs cither irefli Earth, or fome fit Manure be applied to them: Fistrue, they mav maintain tbcmfelves therefor fome time by fending forth Roots farther and farther, to an Extent all around, to fetch in more Provifion ; but at laft, " they mult have a frefh Supply brought to. them, or they tnemlelves remov d or tranfplanted to fome Place better fur- mfli d with Matter tor their Subfiftence. And accordingly, Gardiners oblerve, that Plants that have flood a long while in a place, have longer Roots than ufual \ part of which they cut off, when they traufplaht to a frefh Soil, as not now or any farther ufe to them.
All thefe Infiances point fotth a particular Terreflrial Mat- ter, and not Water, for the Subjcfl to which Plants owe their Increafe : Were it Water only, there would be no need of Manures, or tranfplanting ; the Rain falls in all Places, in this Field and that, indifferently; on one fide of an Orchard and Garden, as well as another : Nor could there be any Reafon, why a Tracf of Land fliould yield Wheat one Year, and not the next ; fince the Rain fhowers down alike on each.
- °. Vegetables are not formed of Water, but of a certain
peculiar terreflrial Matter. A little Diftillation fhews, that there is a confiderable Quantity of this Matter, con- tained both in Rain, Spring, and River Water: and the Experiments above mention'd, ffiew that the much greateft Part of the fluid Mafs that afcends up into Plants, does not fettle or abide there, but paffes thro' the Pores of them, and exhales into the Atmofphere ; and that a great Part of the terreftiial Matter, mixed with the Water, paffes 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 fmaller quantity of that Matter : From all which, we may reafonably infer, that Earth, and not Water, is the Matter that conftitutcs Vegetables.
One of the Sprigs of Mint drew up into it 2501 Grains of the fluid Mafs, and yet had receiv'd but ;•{ Grains of Increafe from it : A fecond, tho it had at firll the Dif- advantage to be much lefs than the third ; yet, being fet in Water wherewith Earth was plentifully mixed, and the other in Water without any fuch Earth, it had vaft- ly outgrown it ; weighing at leaft 145 Grains more than that did : A fourth Plant, tho at firft a great deal lefs' than the fifth, yet being fet in the foul crafs Water, that was left in the Still, 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 Propor- tion of the Augment of that Plant, which throve moft, was to the fluid Mafs fpent upon it, but as i to 4S ; in others, as 1 to 60, 100, 2C0, and in the Cataputia, but as 1 to 714. One of the Sprigs 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 .J 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 z|-5 Grains.
6°. Spring and Rain Witter contain near an equal Charge of Vegetable Matter ; River Water more than either of them. Thefe Proportions hold in the main, but a ftricf and juft Comparifon is hardly to be expected ; inafmuch as in all probability, the Water that falls in Rain, contains at fome times a greater fhare of terreflrial Matter, than that which falls at_ other times ; a more powerful and intenfe heat, of neceflity, hurrying up a larger quantity of that Matter, along with the humid Vapours that form Rain, than one more feeble and remifs poffibly can. The Water of one Spring may flow forth with an higher Charge of this Matter than that of another : this depending partly upon the quicknefs of the Ebullition of the Water, and parrly upon the quantity of that Matter latent in the Strata, thro' which the Fluid paffes ; and the greater or lefs Laxity of thofe Strata : For the fame Reafon, the Water of one Ri- ver may abound with it, more than that of another ; nay, the fame River, when much agitated and in Commotion, muff bear up more of it, than when it moves with lets., Rapidity and Violence. That there is a great quantity of this Matter in Rivers, and that it contributes vaftly to the ordinary Fertility of the Earth ; we have an illuflrious In- flance in the Nile, the Ganges, and other Rivers, rhat year- ly overflow the neighbouring Plains : their Banks fhew the faireft and largeft Crops of any in the Wotld. .
7°. Water ferves only for a Vehicle to the terreflrial Matter which forms Vegetables ; and does not it [elf make any addition to them. Where the proper terreflrial Matter is wanting, the Plant is not augmented, tho never fo much Water afcend into it : Water, then, is not the Matter that compofes Vegetable Bodies ; it is only the Agent that con- veys the Matter to them, that diftributes it to their fevetal Parts for their Nourilhment ; That Matter is fluggiffi and
inaftifei
