OCR Text |
Show Acidity of Plant Root. It has long been a question as to tho manner In which, plant roots tako up food from tho soil. Tho very great rapidity with which plants grow would seem to Indlcnto that tho root of inch plant oxudes somo kind of an acid that has tho power to sot froo Jatcnt plant food. This has been so firmly bolloved thnt It has becomo nn nccoptcd tenet with many agricultural studonts. It will bo interesting to tnnny of thoso to learn that experimenters experi-menters In Italy havo demonstrated beyond all quostlon thnt tho tip of tho root does oxudo an acid. It wns found In Italy that when bluo litmus papoi-wns papoi-wns placed In contact with tho points of tho roots of sugar boots tho paper at tho point whero it canio in contact with tho roots changed to a rqd color. This could bo duo to nothing loss than tho diffusion of nn acid. Its present vnluo in agriculture Is considerable, as It gives us some information rolatlvo to tho availability of plant food In tho soil. |