Note 206 — CHAP. XIV. Of Change of Species.

If the Doctor’s Plants were so nice in leaving vegetable Matter behind, quiet and undisturb’d, ’tis a Wonder they would take up the mineral Matter, as, he says, they did, that kill’d themselves with Nitre.

These Plants might, with much less Difficulty, have distinguish’d the mineral Matter from the vegetable Matter, than they could distinguish the different Particles of vegetable Matter from one another, and must have been very unwise to chuse out the Nitre (their Poison) from the Water and Earth, and to leave the vegetable Particles behind; none of which could be so improper to them as the Nitre.

It may perhaps be objected, that such like pernicious Matter kills a Plant by only destroying its Roots, and by closing the Pores; which prevents the Nourishment from entering to maintain its Life; and that such Matter doth not itself enter to act as Poison upon the Sap, or upon the Vessels of the Body, or Leaves: But it plainly appears that it doth enter, and act as Poison; for when some of the Roots of a Mint, growing in Water, are put into salt Water, it kills the whole Plant, although the rest of the Roots remaining in the fresh Water were sufficient to maintain it, if the other Roots had been cut off at the Time they were removed into the Salt Water; and also all the Leaves, when dead, will be full of Salt.

Or if the Juice of wild Garlick-seed be made use of instead of the salt Water, it will have the same Effect; and every one of the Mint-leaves will have a strong Taste of Garlick in it.