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Show PhilofopbicalHistoryofPlants, € Mellow Earth, with Sand t gether 3 and in what Proportions. c thefe Inere of ¢ he Calcination, or other, be Refolved. , Principles w hereinto any one eparated fromthe reft, and put to the*Telt of 1 either alone, or by mixAnd by their Qualities, as ec. both Ingredients and Principles to be exami- To make tryal of the growth of Plawts, in all kinds of fimple Soils either Earthy or Mineral, as Clay, Marl, Oker, Fullers Earth, Bole Armeniac, Vitriol, Allum, @<c. or Vegetable, as Rotten Woo i Brans, Starch, or Flower, @c. or Avimal, as Dungs, pounded Fleth, ed and powdered Blood, and the like ; that it may appear, how far any of thefe may contribute to the growth of a Plant 5 or to one.above another. : 59. §. Next of the Water, and ofall Liquid Receptacles. Where kinds of Water, from Wells, Springs, Rain, and Rivers are, ; id Faculties, to be examined ; as thefe, and by t » either in their Natural State, or upon Digefti on, or otherwife, may be obfrvable : fince Common Water it felf, is undoubtedly compounded offeveral P» inciples ; the fimplicity there of, not being argued, fiomits Clearnef and Tranfparency; for a Solu- tion of Alum, though it containeth a confiderable quantity of Earth is yet very Clear: norfromits feeming to have neither Sve/ nor Tafte 5 for Water-driwkers will tell you of the varieties of both in different Waters. Befides, if thefe Qualities fhould be accounted rather Phanfie, than Senfe ; thedifference of Waters is yet more manifeft, from their different Effes, obferved by Cooks, Laundreffes, Brewers, and others, that have occafion to ufe them: for not to mix with Sope,without curdling ; not to boil Meat tender, or without colouring it red; und the like, are the vices of fome Waters, not of others, which yet would feem, in Colour, Tafte,and Smell, to be the fame. Tryal fhould alfo be madeof the growth of Plants in all kinds of Liquid Recepta| 18 Common Water, Snow Water, Sea Water, Orine, Milk > Whey, bable, that it is diffolved in the Atthe r,as other Salts are in Water, or in the Vaporousparts ofthe Aer, As alfo to try, what different EffeGs, a diverfity ofAer may have upon a Vegetable ; as by fetting a Plant,or Seed, either exceeding Low, as at the bottom of a deep Well; or exc eding High, as onthe top ofa Steeple. Or elfe by expofing fome Soil to the Aer, whichis afluredlyfree from any Seed, and uponit 5 and to obferve, whether the Aer hath {0, as no Seed can light a power ofproducing a Vegetable therein, or not : andthe like. 61. §. Laftly of the sux; asto which, it may be confidered, What Influence it may have upon the Pluxtit elf ; upon the Soil; Or upon the Aer. Whether that Influence is any thing elfe befides Heat : or may differ from that of a Fire, otherwife, than by being Temper ate, and more Equal. That it doth, feems evident froman Experiment fometime fince given us, in one of the Pariffan Fourna ls des Scavan sand whichI therefore think very applicable to our prefent purpof e. Ifyou holda Concave at a due diftance, againft a Fire,it will colleét and caftthe Heat intoa burning Focus: but ifyou put a peice of plain Gla between them, the Glafs will {catter the Heat, and deftroy the Focus. Whereas the Suz-Beams, being gatheredin like manner ,will pafs through the interpofed Gla, and maintain their Focws. Asfor That, of the Colle@ion of the Sun-beams, by the help of Glaffes , in the form of a Magister, orof Flowers, and fuch like, Idefire to fufpend my thoughts of them, till fee them. I will only fay thus muchfurthera t not underftand whythe Swz fhould not have fome prefent, That I do dies, befides by Heat, ifit may be granted, That Influence upon Bothe Mvox hath 5 for which, it fhould fem, there are fome good Arguments. 62. g.. WE HAVE thusfar examinedthe Princip les neceflary to ASi Vegetation. The Quefti on may be putonce more, In what manne lean I r are thefe Principles {0 adapted, as to become capable ofbeing affembled to- Only hinted gether, in fucha Number, Conjugation, Propor make a Vegetable Body 2 Forthe comprehenf tion, and Onion, as to ion whereof, we muftalfo know,Whatare the Principles of thefe Principles. Which, although they lie info great anaby Oyl, Ink, @c. Or anyof thefe, with a folution of Salt, Nitre. unellé, Sope, or other body. And hereby to obferve what follows, citherin the Liquor, or in the Plant it elf: as if any fixed Body, & ofobfcurity 5 yet, I think, Ihave fome reafon to believe, that they are not altogether undifc overable. Howfar they may be fo, lam fo far from rroweth sthel} ater,being then evaporated ; whether the quantity ofthat liffolved body,continue the fame,or is leffened.So,wh ether any Vegetable 63. §. THIS isthe Defigz, and thefe the Means I propofe in order The Con thereunto. To which, I fuppofe, they mayall appear to be neceflary. clufion. For what we obtain of Nature, we mutt not do it by commanding,but bycourting being weighedbeforeits diffolution in Water ; and ifthe Plant,fe t herein, ¢ Opiate,by growing a confiderable time ina plain Solutio n or have, yet at leaft, for our further inftruGionin the Nature icture of Opium 3 and the like. Which Experiments,what event 7, may beofule, §. Next of Aer, where it will be requifite to inquire,what fort of Bodies maybe herein contained: Itbeing probable , from the variety of Meteors formed herein; and of Vapours and Exhalations continually advanced hereinto; that fome or other ofthem, may bear an Analogy, to all Volatile Bodys, whether Animal,Vegetable , or Mineral. The flourifhings alfo of Frozen Dew; and the Green Colour, which the Aey gives Ground or Water, when, for fome time expofed to it; and othereffects; feem to argue, thatit is Impregn ated with Vegetable Prin#ples. To confideralfo the peculiar Nature ofthat Body, which is ftriéty called, der, And of that true A rial Salt,which to me, feemeth probable Determining, that I thall not now Conjec ture, of Her. Thofe that woo Her, maypo flibly have her for their Wife; but She is not fo commo n, as to proftitute her {elf to the beft behaved Wit, which onlypraétif eth uponit elf, and is not applied toher. I mean, that where ever Men will go beyond Phanfie and Imagination, depending upon the Cond ué of Divine Wifdow,they mutt Labour, Hope and Perfevere. And as the Means propounded, areall neceflary, fo they may, in fome meafure, prove effe@tual. Howfar, I promife not 5 the Way is long and dark: and among{t Mountains, by gaining the top of one, as Travellers fometimes are fo far from their Journeys end ; that they only come to {ee another lies before them : fo the Wayof Nature, is fo impervious, and, asI mayfay, down Hill and upHill, that how far foever we go, yet the furmounting of one difficulty, is wont ftill to give us the profpe@ of another, We may there |