XIV. 



ERRORS ABOUT ROOTS. 



4 PREVALENT error about roots is regarding 

 XJL the extent of their development. Few have 

 any adequate idea of the distance to which roots 

 reach ; and when it is understood that at the extrem- 

 ities only of roots is their food absorbed it is readily 

 seen that this is a subject that ought to be well 

 understood by all who have the care of plants. In 

 a recent newspaper article on the cultivation of 

 onions I find it stated that land intended for onions 

 should be plowed not to exceed six inches deep, as 

 their roots never extend beyond that depth. I 

 immediately went into the garden and pulled up 

 an onion, and found, even as was said, the roots to 

 be from four to six inches long. Upon examination, 

 however, I discovered that the ends of most of the 

 roots were broken off. I then tried again, this 

 time using a spade, carefully digging down by the 

 side of the plant, and tracing its roots downward, 

 until I found that they reached to the depth of three 

 feet! It is undoubtedly true that comparatively 

 shallow culture is best for the onion; many of its 

 roots are near the surface, and as the manure which 



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