328 TRANSACTIONS OP THE KANKAKEE 



On land too poor to procliice fruit the remedy is apparent. En- 

 rich it by manuring, plowing clover or other green crops under, or 

 feeding stock on it for a season or two before putting it under cul- 

 tivation. Fortunately for Kankakee county poverty of soil is not 

 one of the stumbling blocks in the way of horticultural success. I 

 believe, however, that no one crop can be constantly grown on the 

 same land year after year without deterioration, unless manure or 

 some other fertilizer is applied to compensate for the product 

 removed. 



A plant includes all there is of it. The parts that grow above 

 the ground, the stem, branches and leaves, together with the parts 

 that grow below the surface, the roots, rootlets, and all their feeders, 

 constitute the whole plant. In a perfectly grown plant all the parts 

 make a corresponding growth. All plant food is taken by the feeders 

 in a liquid form. The roots of plants are attracted by plant food 

 and grow towards it until they reach it, if placed near enough for 

 them to do so. This explains why spreading manure over the entire 

 surface is better than manuring corn in the hill. If the soil is com- 

 pacted by the tread of stock or hardened by sunshine after rain, the 

 air does not pass through the soil, and a large part of the plant food 

 remains insoluble, the tender feeders cannot accomplish their work, 

 and the whole plant is weakened. The cutting away of a part of 

 the roots of a tree weakens it and retards its growth in proportion 

 to the injury done. This is shown in the transplanting of large 

 trees which recover slowly from the check received. Root pruning 

 has been tried and recommended by some horticulturists in the care 

 of tardy bearing fruit trees to bring them into bearing. Any injury 

 which endangers the life of a tree may sometimes cause the growth 

 of fruit, on the principle that nature desires the production of seed 

 for the continuance of the species. Blue grass and some of our 

 troublesome weeds will, after repeated cuttings, produce seed very 

 close to the ground for the accomplishment of the same result. 

 Among vegetables we find a great difference in their recuperative 

 powers after root injury. The tomato will bear close pruning while 

 the members of the gourd or squash family are extremely sensitive 

 of any damage their roots receive, and are easily killed by breaking 

 them. The cabbage plant endures transplanting, but if set out 

 during warm weather the leaves droop, and it may be several days 

 before the usual growth is resumed. The small portion of the root 

 left on cannot support the leaves which remain drooping until a new 

 root growth has taken place. If all the large leaves were taken off, 

 leaving only the very small ones on the top, the plant recovers more 

 rapidly, in fact, it does not appear to be affected by the removal^ as I 

 have ascertained by experiment. 



Although the roots of different vegetables act differently under 

 similar treatment, they appear to be subject to the same rule as fruit 

 plants; that is, increase of root power gives increase of crop. Weeds 



