Litchfield enquirer., 1854-01-26

! ly incorrect although it is evident thai. water is their carrier whatever their form.
 When any matter which is not iequi- red for assimulalion Is imbibed. the plant possesses the power of excreting il, aud every shower of rain washes il farther away from the soil. Sandy hcaths may be made productive by sowing them with the ashes of the heath plants, which have previously collected the potash and soda. and which now leave them to be convert ed to new plants by water. Certain kinds of sea waed during their lives, extract from the water comparatively large quan~ titles of iodine in the same manner that land plants collect alkalies. Rain water scontaining any inorganic matters in so lution must necessarily convey them into the leaves of plants when it is itself im- tibed. But this supply is SO exceeding y minute and so inadequate to the wants of the plant that it is (at least in the present of our knowledge of vegetable chemistry) never considered of any im> portance.
 The roots of plants constantly imbibe with the rain. the alkalies and salts which formed part of the sea water, and which have been spread over the whole surface of inc earth by evaporation. In short all the soluble inorganic substan- ces which have been enumerated. are derived from the soil and are conveyed to the roots of plants by water.
 We have seen that carbonic acid, am- monia and water are necessary to the formation of the organic portions of plants, and that inorganic salts and OK ides serve peculiar functions in their organism.
 Supposillg the soil 10 have already formed, we have traced the course of sea wather through the air and earth, and have seen is carry its own elements, am- monia, salts, and oxides to the roots of plants.
 4 The sap, as it is now termed under goes various changes, which are not ti,0r- oughly understood, and m which wafer performs various operations. It becomes dec0mposed as before stated, yielding up iis clements iO the organic part nf the veg- eiable. The sap is raised up by capillary attraction, SD by lhe contraction Of the common vessels (ihrongh which il passes) and dickens as u rises. il at Iast reaches the leaves, and heinz spread oui over much surface pnrl.en of remaining water is evappFaied and again constitutes paFt os the atmosphere. The sap. modified bv caFbonic acid nexl desccnds ilIr0ugll the proper vessels, welding Up various sub sisnces in it's course, and ai last reaches ihe exiremiiies 0i tlie rDoi here il gives ef to the sDl both solid and fluid subsiaE- ces, and fife remainder again sscen.ls with tie newly imbibed sep. Fhe water witch has escaped in various ways from tie tree still carrying vartOns substances, may be alternately vspOrized aud precip:iaied, Or ii may again reach tue ocean ny tlle nieans orslreams and rivers.
 2 Wafer silll farther acts as vehicle in iie vegetable. world. as will he shown. LinHus supposed tliat there was original. Iy great primitive cenire of vege.aii,n, and that rivers and ite currents 0f the ncean had been principally instrumental in carrying the seeds t0 every part of the world. A second hypothesis ls, that every species of plsnls originated in distinct portion Of lhe globe, and that ille sane means have distributed vegetation At all events, rivers and currents are always al work in every psrt of ile globe in disiri- buiing the seeds of plants. One example only will be given.
 The upper part of Goat Island in ihe Niagara river produces every variety of I flowers that are found on tie shores of the upper Lakes. Masses and Iclens and full grown floating plants of every kind are also carried by water from place io place. GeoiOgisis have discovered remnants of . gigantic rsce nf the latter class which were undoubtedly at some period carried sboUt the ocean by tides and currents.