Earth; but then (as I affirm’d before) the queftion is, what
he cails Earth ; forliilby that he means a pure fimpld Ble-
ment, v iz. a Body confuting only of one fizc and figure,
then (from what has been hinted before) it is aS abfurd to
deduce Vegetation from that, as from Water. I ffiall only
beg leave to add an Experiment or two, and fo< conclude :
I took the Seeds o f Npnphaa or W ater-LiUj1 wheh i full
ripe, and put them in glafs Vials, in which they-continued
twelve Months, I added frelh Water to them as the other
evaporated; ithe Seeds at the bottom o f both Vials ftood
ereét, and emitted a pellucid Mucilage, which ftood in op-
polite Globules near the upper end o f the Seed; the Water
depofited a great deal o f green and earthy Mattfefy buf thé
Seed never vegetated or lprouted at all, tho’ thillbe I Water
Plant. From this Experiment i t is evident, that be -
fides Earth and Water barely confider’d as filch, other Bodies
are necefiary to the Vegetation o f various and
probably to this a fat fulphureous Ouze} in which it ufually
grows, and has Roots o f an immenfe Magnitude, fome I
have leen as thick as the Thigh o f a Man, which were taken
out o f the Pond at Tabley in Chef hire,' when it'W'as
drein’d, where the remaining Earth or Mud, which was
black and foetid, was wholly over-lpread with them. This
Inftance, I think, may fairly ferve to illufiratè the
thefis that I have laid down concerning the Vegetation o f
‘Plants,
To thefè may be added thole extraordinary Improvements
made by Chandlers A flies, confifting o f oily and fa-
line Particles, as likewife the Impoft of Malpighins, prepared
with an Infufion of Sheep's Dung, Pigeons Dung,
and a Imall quantity o f Nitre j o f which I faw an Inftance
the laft Year at Edgecroft in Lancashire, by which from a
fourth part of Seed, in the molt barren part o f the Field,
I faw a very luxuriant Crop: It might do well for our
Gentry (who inhabit their Country Seats) and Husbandmen
tfaorowly to confider this, fince the right application o f it
to
toi a-proper Soil, may b$ oSfo-great Advantage,;/ and who
knows wha.t.thi%;j,e.ven irf t&egpiof^cold and barren Ground,
may which hither.®;for;the greateft part hath lain
ufeljefs; hut befides whaffisffieje offer’d, their Intereft may
be a-«mor^incitihg Argument-to induce them .to Thyals- of
But can there be had a more ample Demonftra£i,o$of this
Hypothetic than ^yenfrqm Water and Eatththemfelyie
How jeommon i§dif ,to* obfetfve- Earth, byhteiipg long pent
up> to emit fulphurequs£g?^i^? ^ehqej^er^have -fetid
Smells hynopeifeg, ,pf Ditcfes:^dsSi^s|i/fndrheiceLiprcH
bablyui^^thatimGonfiimptiv^iCa^j Etea picked Grouridb»
that haye for a confiderable tune beenJPgftuM^many per-
foils have Received Benefit, which mult. ,aflhretfepr,oceed
from fulpEureous benign Particles loofen’dlSum S e ir Cells,
and qouqey’d to the^Mafs of.Blood, Which by t h e i S E i t y
ialj^e Particles hbat m ^ e and,
in ffiott prevent the putrifaftion," w h i c h E r i n ^ o u ^ ^ S
°t;Cpnfuniption. And as to W ^tpr,'"noth^\s morecc^-
mon, than it to/grow naufeoufly .fet$i long, keeping,
which iPhaenomenon fuffieiently evipces tho,Exi%ncf of
fulphureous Particles in that llem en | * ^ b e f^ Z ^ p p |fu |;
m.ifour Days by being, q l^ y iop t, beri
jg|jM||g£g^ 2 f e t id ;afaSt.^fc»’s at Buxton in
which; expos’d,£toi3opeEt Air,
^^.ftoUggrateful fmell: The reafpn becaufq^olb: fulphuhay^^
ent'
are^pow,forc’d by their confinement,' H unite.with.faline'; ■
Particles, and thence by their Points. grate upon the Organ,
and;are fcjetid and offenfive.
It is likewife to be oblerv d, that? thele.fiilphurepus
¥P ia; a^^Aquaedua^^'tfceq bytlppr
u p o n ,c r ^ p o th e ^ ,^ e ^ b e ^ ^
iS.thai S i | ot Baths' at, ?in the
Bifliop Qf X ^ ’s.j Country are caufed, by, retarding the
ho.t Spring \yjth a jSteppel, ,and in a ".little timp after hy
giving