What happens, then, is the following. When our peasants are bringing corn from the country into the city in wagons, and wish to filch some away without being detected, they fill earthen jars with water and stand them among the corn; the corn then draws the moisture into itself through the jar and acquires additional bulk and weight, but the fact is never detected by the onlookers unless someone who knew about the trick before makes a more careful inspection. Yet, if you care to set down the same vessel in the very hot sun, you will find the daily loss to be very little indeed. Thus corn has a greater power than extreme solar heat of drawing to itself the moisture in its neighbourhood.[132] Thus the theory that the water is carried towards the rarefied part of the air surrounding us[133] (particularly when that is distinctly warm) is utter nonsense; for although it is much more rarefied there than it is amongst the corn, yet it does not take up a tenth part of the moisture which the corn does. XIV Palin oun kai hêmeis eph' heteran metabômen adoleschian; ou gar epitrepousin hoi sophistai tôn axiôn ti zêtêmatôn procheirizesthai kaitoi pampollôn hyparchontôn, alla katatribein anankazousi ton chronon eis tên tôn sophismatôn, hôn proballousi, lysin. Tis oun hê adoleschia? hê endoxos hautê kai polythrylêtos lithos hê ton sidêron || epispômenê. tacha 45 gar an hautê pote tên psychên autôn epispasaito pisteuein einai tinas en hekastô tôn sômatôn helktikas tôn oikeiôn poiotêtôn dynameis. Epikouros men oun kaitoi paraplêsiois Asklêpiadê stoicheiois pros tên physiologian chrômenos homôs homologei, pros men tês hêrakleias lithou ton sidêron helkesthai, pros de tôn êlektrôn ta kyrêbia kai peiratai ge kai tên aitian apodidonai tou phainomenou. tas gar aporrheousas atomous apo tês lithou tais aporrheousais apo tou sidêrou tois schêmasin oikeias einai phêsin, hôste periplekesthai rhadiôs. proskrouousas oun autas tois synkrimasin hekaterois tês te lithou kai tou sidêrou kapeit' eis to meson apopallomenas houtôs allêlais te periplekesthai kai synepispasthai ton sidêron. to men oun tôn hypotheseôn eis tên aitiologian apithanon antikrys dêlon, homôs d' oun homologei tên holkên. kai houtô ge kai kata ta sômata tôn zôôn phêsi gignesthai tas t' anadoseis kai tas diakriseis tôn perittômatôn kai tas tôn kathairontôn pharmakôn energeias.