A

SR

ADDITIONAL NOTES. 587

tious matter to enlarge the fruit, the cells, in which the feeds are contained, become hollow, producing an air-vefiél for the living embryon; of what purity the air may be, which is produced in thefe cells, has not I believe been tried, and may differ as the em bryon-feed grows older; but the oxygen, which it contains, feems to have been difengaged from the membranes, which cover the feeds, which thence become coloured; whence the dark colour of the feeds of apples and pears is a proper criterion of the time, when they fhould be gathered; as it indicates, that the fruit will no longer increafe in fize, as it now waftes and becomes hoïlow by abforbing fome of the mucilage from the central parts of it.

11. To be inferted at the end of Se. NI, 5. 5.

Sugar is not only afforded by the fap-flow of trees, as the maple, birch, and vine, but alfo I fuppofe from that of herbaceous vegeta- bles, as heracleum fpondilium, cow parfnip, and ferratula arvendis, field thiftle; when the former of thefe plants has been cut off near the ground in the vernal months, the fap-juice from the ftumpl have obferved to flow in fuch quantity for many days, that I have doubted whether by a proper apparatus for catching it the plant might not be advantageoufly cultivated for the purpofe of making wine, or of extraéting the fugar as from the maple of America. This circumftance has been faid to fhew a proper time for deftroying the weeds, as they be mowed in the bleeding feafon, they are believ-

ed to perifh by the lofs of fap-juice.

As all fpirit is the fame, when nicely diftilled, whether it be found in wine, ale, cyder, brandy, rum, gin, and is the produét of fugar by the chemical procefs of fermentation; and as all fugar is the fame, when nicely cleaned, whether it be obtained from fruits, grains, roots, canes, or fap-juice; there is reafon to believe, that fugar as well as

4F2 fpirit