Show GROW WHEAT ON DRY FARMS many of roots of plant wl descend to depth of eight feet in search of needed moisture by E II 11 an examination of the underground portion 0 the wheat plant will bring to light some very interesting facts it will bg found that in a well de plant growing under favorable dry farm conditions that a many as 50 roots or more will descend to a probable depth of eight feet each root Is supplied with a system of literals laterals late rals which vary from one to six inches in length and which are spaced on either side of the main root from one eighth to one fourth rl an inch apart A very conservative estimate of the combined length of all the literals laterals late rals of a single root might be placed as ten times the length of the root itself it thus becomes a simple master of calculation to learn that the entire root system of a single wheat plant may approach a mile in length a fact not eo startling when we consider that a single seed can system of wheat plant height of longest straw to top of the head about three feet length of longet root Is six feet produce itself one thousand fold with plants which possess such an enor moua root system it is now apparent why some farmers can mature plants without one drop of rain falling dur ing the growing period it must be borne in mind however that the wheat plant cannot mature without moisture but it given half a chance will forage into the depths of the soil in search of that moisture which the wise farmer has stored up during years of plenty yet in eplite of this fact not one farmer in ten thousand is acquainted with the range of the root system of the wheat plant he grows year after year in tact it la A current belief among dry farmers themselves that such roots pene the eoll to a depth of but six to twelve inches the roots of the wheat plants of farmers who do not believe in the theories which underlie the storing of moisture in the soil are burned out during times of drought however the plants of he deep rooted farmer go down ten feet into the boll and this farmer sells seed wheat to the shallow rooted farmer does it pay to learn bow the wheat plant grows |