30 3Iississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



The above reports were, on motion of Mr. McCaffrt-y, of Illinois, 

 referred to a Committee of Finance and Ways and Means, consist- 

 ing of Messrs. Wright, of Iowa, Furnas, of Nebraska, Munson, of 

 Texas, Buck, of Illinois, and Evans, of ISfissouri. 



A Committee on Constitutional Amendments, consisting of ^lessrs. 

 Ragau, of Indiana, Grimes, of Colorado, and Holsinger, of Kansas, 

 was appointed. 



Mr. Johnson, of Indiana, having been added to the Committee 

 on Order of Business, made the following report on behalf of said 

 Committee : 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON ORDER OF BCSINESS. 



Your Committee on Order of Business respectfully recommend the liours of 

 meeting to be as follows: Nine o'clock A. M., 2 o'clock and 7 o'clock p. m , and 

 adjourn at pleasure of meeting. That all papers whose authors are not present 

 shall go into our Proceedings without reading, unless sjiecially called for. Papers 

 whose authors are present may be read on the call of the President. That tlie 

 hour of 2 o'clock to-morrow shall be fixed for the address of welcome, the Presi- 

 dent's address to follow. 



Which was adopted. 



Prof. J. W. Robson, of Kansas, then proceeded to read the fol- 

 lowing very interesting paper on 



VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY— CIRCULATION OF THE SAP. 



BY PROF. J. W. ROBSOX, OF KANSAS. 



The roots are those parts of a plant on which it is chiefly deiicndent for 

 the supply of the moisture which its growth roquircs, and also .serves to tix 

 the plant in the soil. 



That they absorb or siick up fluid with great rapidity, may be easily shown. 

 Take any small plant that is growing in the soil, and immerse its roots in a 

 tumbler of water; if the plant be exposed to the light of day, and especially 

 if the sun shine briglitly upon it, the water will disappear very much faster 

 from the glass than from one exposing the same surface, placed in the same 

 circumstances, but without the plant; and if the specimen continues to grow 

 and flourish, it will take up many times its own weight of water in a short 

 period. 



Of the water thus ab.sorbcd, a small proportion only is reUiined within the 

 plant. The greatest part of it is sent olf again from the leaves by a process 

 termed exhalation, and the rapidity of absorption is, in part, governed by the 

 rapidity of the above process. 



