Chaf. XI. Ap-pexdix, Xo. 2 . $

Thus the solid matter was something less than the eighth partof the whole mass ; yet, when packed into the box, it occupiednearly three-fourths of its contents. To try the difference of solid-ity at different depths, on the 22d July, the box was filled at 5feet lower in the moss than the last, and weighed 56 lib. 8 oz.

lib. oz. lib. oz.

And after the water was squeezed out of it, it

weighed - - - - 50 8

The expressed water, by calculation, should have

weighed - - - - 5 12

-56 4

When the moss was dried by sun and fire, as be-fore, it weighed 14 lib. 7 oz.; hence the waterevaporated was - - - 36 1

The water squeezed out, as above - - 5 12

- 41 13

Solid substance left - - , . - - 14 7

56 4

Hence the solid matter is nearly one-fourth cf the whole.

Of the feculent water of the first, three English pints werekept, to examine if it contained any kind of acid ; but, being sogrossly feculent, no accurate trial could be made, till it could besomewhat cleared, which was very difficult. When an attemptwas made to filter it through paper, the fecuhe settled on thepaper, and retained the water like a bladder. By passing itthrough dry sand, with a thin linen rag under it, a small quan-tity of almost clear water was obtained. This had no acid taste.A solution of the sulphat of iron dropt into it, made no change ;it had not the least effect on the colour of paper stained withthe juicy petals of blue flowers. -Of course, the moss does notappear to have contained any acid. Here, however, a remark-able fact ought to be recorded. On the expectation that the fe-culence of the moss, with which the sand through which it hadpassed was visibly mixed, might possibly yield some nourish-ment to a growing plant, a flower-pot was filled with this sand,and another with the same sand without mixture, and a grainof barley planted on each. Both were regularly watered ; bothplants appeared, and continued nearly equal till the third leafappeared ; when that on the sand through which the moss-w r atcrhad passed became flaccid, fell over, and withered, while the o-ther continued erect. This unaccountable appearance gave sur-prise : the experiment was repeated—the result was the same.On a third repetition, the plant appeared stout and vigoroustill it got three leaves ; and then, all on a sudden, the middleleaf fell over as before ; and it was concluded, that the mossy