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Show From earth's deep wafies ele£!ric torrents pour, Or fhcd from heaven the fcintillating !bower ; Pierce the dull root> relax its fibre-trains, Thaw the thick blood, which lingers in its veins ; ElrBric torrents pour.!. 463. The influence of elechicity in forwarding the germination of plants and their growth fcems to be pretty well dbblifhed: though Mr. Ingenhouz Jid not fucceecl in his experiments, and thence doubts the fuccefs of thofe of others; and though M. Roubnd from his new experiments believes, that neither pofi.tive nor negative elcehicity increafes vegetation; both which philofophers had prcvioufiy been [upporters of the contrary doC!:rine: for many other naturalil1s have Iince repeated their experiments relative to this objeCt:, and their new refults have confirmed their former ones. l\1r. D'Ormoy and the two Roziers have found the fame fuccefs in numerous experiments which they have made in the laH two years; and Mr. Carmoy has fhewn in a convincing manner that eleCl:ricity accelerates germination. Mr. D 'Ormoy not only found various feeds to vegetate fooner, and to grow taller, which were put upon his infulated table and fupplied with eleCl:ricity, but all() that filkworms beg:m to fpin much fooner which were kept eleCl:rified than thofe of the fame hatch which were hpt in the fame place and manner, except that they were not electrified. Theti: experiments of Mr. D'Ormoy are detailed at length in the Journal de Phyfique of Rozier, Torn. XXXV. p. 270. l\.1. l3artholon, who had before written a tract on this fubject, and propofed ingenious methods for applying eleCl:ricity to agriculture and gardening, has alfo repeated a numerous fct of experiments; and {hews both that natural eleCl:ricity, as well as the artificial, in~ crcafes the growth of plants, and the germination of feeds; and oppofes Mr. Ingenhouz by very numerous and conclufive facts. lb. Tom. XXXV. p. 401. Since by the late difcovcri cs or opini ons of the Chemil1s there is reafon to believe that water is ULCompofed in the velfels of vegetables; and that the H ydrogene or inflammable air, of which it in part conftHs, contributes to the nourilhment of the plant, and to the produCl:ion of its oils, relins, gums, fugar, &c. and lal1ly as electricity decompofes water into thefe two airs termed Oxygene and Hydrogene, there is a po~erful analogy to i~1duce us to believe that it accelerates or contributes to the growth of vegetation, and l1ke heat may pofiibly enter into combination with many bodies, or form the baGs of fume yet unanalif\:d a~..:id. [ J,-7 ] Melt with warm breath the fragrant gums, that bind The expanding foliage in its fcaly rind; And as in air the laughing leaflets play, And turn their :fhining bofoms to the ray, NYMPHS r with fweet fmile each opening Bower invite, And on its damaik eyelids pour the light. " So !hall my pines, Canadian wilds that !hade, Where no bold ftep has pierc' d the tangled glade, I-Iigh-towering palms, that part the Southern Rood 4 7 5 With fhadowy iDes and continents of wood, Oaks, whofe broad antlers creft Britannia's plain, Or bear her thunders o'er the conquer' d main, Shout, as you pa[q, inhale the genial fkies, And balk and brighten in your bearny eyes; 480 Bow their white heads, admire the changing clime, Shake from their candied trunks the tinkling rime; With bur.fl:ing buds their wrinkled barks adorn, And wed the ti1norous floret to her thorn |
