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Show Growth. Roots and leaves are the life organs or-gans of trees. A large part of the roots, however, only serve as conductors con-ductors of water and food material. The young fibrous roots that are covered cov-ered by fine hairs, are the only ones which take water and minerals from the soil. The trunk and branches simply serve as conductors of food material between the leaves and roots. If the fibrous roots are cut off or exposed ex-posed so that they dry out, the tree will, in all probability, die. Some trees, like locusts, willows, poplars, etc.. have the power of renewing re-newing their roots readily. Such trees always transplant easily. Therefore, There-fore, the first care In transplanting trees is to keep the fibrous roots from drying out, and to protect "them from injury during the time which transpires tran-spires before the tree is planted again. In growing, trees build up a body of cell tissues, make foliage, flowers and fruit. They take up food material from the soil and air, changing it into cellulose cel-lulose and various other compounds. Like all other plants, trees depend upon moisture, heat and light as the means of performing their growth. From the soil trees principally get water by means of the fibrous roots. This water is carried to the leaves, through the trunk and branches, being be-ing partly used for wood formation on its way and partly given up to the air by the leaves. Minerals are taken only in small quantities and consist mostly of lime, potash, magnesia and nitrogen. They are carried to the leaves where they combine with part of the water in food preparation. The largest amount of water, however, how-ever, taken up by a tree, transpires, or in other words, is given to the air in the form of vapor. So' most of the mineral substance remains in the leaves, these in turn return it to the soil, when they are shed and left to decompose on the ground. This explains ex-plains the fertility of soil in timber land. But now we must return to what the tree gets from the air. The solid portions of a tree, writes B. Schwering, in Farmers' Voice, is made largely of cellulose, which consists con-sists of carbon with hydrogen and oxygen. The tree gets its carbon car-bon by taking carbonic acid from the air, into the leaves. This, under the influence of light, air and water, is decomposed. de-composed. Oxygen is thrown out and the remaining re-maining carbon forms compounds such as starch, sugar, etc., by combining combin-ing with elements taken from the water. These compounds, which are used as food matter, pass downward through the tree to the very tip3 of its roots, making new wood all along. hksshe |