10 



CIRCULAR NO. 115, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



The behavior of the proliferous roots with respect to growth in 

 diameter is quite peculiar. In comparatively few cases do they ex- 

 ceed one-fourth of an inch, except at the swellings, the average di- 



Pig. 4.— Sections of proliferating roots of alfalfa, showing buds of the new shoots in 



different stages of development. 



Fig. 5.— A portion of a plant of Medicago falcata (S. F. I. No. 28071), showing the origi- 

 nal crown, with new plants that have resulted from proliferating roots. Some of the 

 new plants, it will be noted, have already developed crown and taproot. 



ameter being about three-sixteenths of an inch, but it is by no means 

 uniform. At the point of origin the roots may be much smaller than 

 at some distance from this point. At 2 or more feet from the main 

 root they may become reduced in size to one-sixteenth of an inch, en- 

 [Cir. 115] 



