Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 095.djvu/110

96 gl$ Mr. BCnigbt concerning the $t^te, m wlwh

numerous buds penetrated through the bark in. ?very part^ many leaves of large size every where appeared, and i^ thje autumn every part was covered with very vigoroys &Ik>^ exceedinga^ in the aggregate, two feet ip lengthy The mflnb^ of leaves which, in this case, sprang at once from the. triyil^ and branches* ajppe^red to me gif^^y to exceed the whole of those, which the tre^ had born in the three preoec^ng seasons apd I cannot believe that the matter wluch co^nppsed ^^es^ buds and leaver could have be^n» whoUy PT^^af^ by^th^ feeUl^ vegetatix)n and scai^y ipl^g^ S^ ^!^ pr«cediqg year.

But whether the substance whi^h is ioitf^d in the alburnuQl of winter-felled trees, a^d which cbsappears in part ii^ t^i^ spring and early part of the summer, b^ genera^^ in o^ <ff m several preceding years^ t^^ere seem to be strong grpuBds of probability, that tlfis substance enters into the composition C(f t][f kf^f : for we have ^bundqnt reason to believe that tl;i§ organ is the principal agent of assimilation ; and scarcely aiy iiu^g ca^i be morecontr^y to every conclusion we shp^ld <|r^w from analogic^ reas9linga|nd coxQpafis9n of the vegetable with the ^imal ecppomy, or in itself more improbable, th^ that the Leaf^ or apy other organ, sl^ould singly pi*epare an4 ^liich composes itself^..
 * issi»^k^^ immediately fxf^ ^he crudi^ aqueous sap, that matter

It has been contended^ that the buds themselves cont^ip the qytriment necessary for tl^e minute unfolding leaves : but tre^s possess a power to fepro4u^ their buds, ^nd the ma^t^F necessary to form these buds must evidently be dierived froiii som^ other source : nor do^s it appjear probable that the yoi^ng leaves y^y soo^ ei^ter on this office : for the experiments o£