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Show I j HORTICULTURE H This Department is Edited by Prof. H R. S. Northrop, SUtc Atrial Atri-al i cultural College. H 1 HOW PLANTS FEED. m Did you ever place a few seeds bc- M twecn two damp blotters on a plate H and lcUthcm germinate? If you will M do; so you' may notice that as the H roots develop there appear just bc- m hind the tips innumerable delicate, m silky hair-like bodies that glisten and H resemble somewhat cotton fibers, only m finer These arc the root hairs and m nre-.thc; means by which plants absorb M the water of the soil which carries in m solution the food which has been dis- B solved and will supply to the plant H the materials required for growth. M Go out of doors and pull some weed B from; the ground, choosing one that B is growing in comparatively loose B soil. Look tat the roots of tlVis and B though you do not sec the root hairs as B plainly as you can when the seeds arc B germinated between two damp blot- B tcrs, you will sec that, a great many B soil particles adhere to 'the finer toots. B These particles arc held by the root B hairs "which exist in great numbers B even if invisablc. No doubt if the i plant pulled, be lifted tenderly from loose soil thus avoiding damage to these delicate organs, the greater amount of soil will be found just behind be-hind the tips of the smallest roots. If anyone will perform carefully these little experiments, he can easily understand how plants feed and he will appreciate the necessity for careful care-ful cultivation of his land. If the finest roots must press out and give off from the rcgiom just behind their tips, these delicate hairs which can scarcely be sccn without a microscope micro-scope and which will not withstand the slightest handling, how necessary is it that the soil be deeply plowed and finely worked in order that these hairs may develop to. the fullest and thus take from the soil the elements necessary for growth and fruitful-hess. fruitful-hess. We know that the soil moisture exists ex-ists as a film of water surrounding each particle from which the food used by the plants is dissolved; it is evident to all that if the particles arc more finely broken and arc loosened loos-ened and Irccd from caich other, it will be more easy for the root hairs to get in ibetween them and absorb the food. Moreover a greater amount of surface will be exposed to the action ac-tion of the moisture in the soil and more moisture aan soak in during rains for the pores arc open and the water that comes will go down into the soil before it can run off, all of which will increase the amount of food available for the plants. Now, in order that the absorption of food and water by the fine roots can go on it is necessary that air exist ex-ist in the soil. If the soil is baked hard, air will not be present in sufficient suffi-cient quantity for more than a very few inches, but when land is deeply plowed, the particles of soil arc so loosened that the fine feeding roots can secure a sufficient quantity of air tat a much greater depth. This then allowis them to feed throughout the entire depth plowed, not merely in the upper two or three inches of soil, in consequence of which much more food is secured. It is ia law of nature that before a plant can produce seed or fruit it must have more food available than is required to satisfy the needs of growth and that the use of this food for growth be prevented by some -condition of the plants environment. Anything then which will check the growth of a plant will throw it into : fruitfulncss if a sufficient quantity of food is present and in such condition that the plant can get it. I. have shown how, by deep plowing and cul- I tivation the feeding area is greatly j increased, from which it will be .more easy for the roots to secure food, but those statements arc not all of the -j reasons why thorough tillage will ; supply a surplus of food, thus making it essential to good orchard! practice. After plants arc growing, plowing and j cultivating will cut off many roots. This will cause them to throw out a 1 much greater number of branch roots, 1 which we can sec will increase their I albsorbing area, because the root hairs g arc borne behind the growing tip:. I The soil also will be bettered in many ways by the organic matter turned under and by the chemical activities which arc set in motion. The checking of the growth of the plants is easily arranged, .for since we know that it is by the soil water that the food is taken in. If we cease 'cultivating 'cul-tivating in the middle of summer, it will be much more difficult for the plant to continue to apply water, for weeds spring up and much is lost by evaporation. The rapid growth of early summer cannot then take place and tho food! which has been taken in i can go to develop the .fruit on the tree or to prepare new fruit buds for the next year. |