12 



CIRCULAR NO. 115, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



being conducive to their development (fig. 8). Many of the plants 

 produced from these proliferous roots in time form a new crown and 

 a more or less branching taproot, which in turn is capable of sending 

 out proliferous roots, as does the original plant. No cases have so 

 far been observed of the new plants becoming separated from the 

 mother plant, even after they have become well equipped with a 

 root system of their own, and while no evidence has been noted of 

 the lateral roots disintegrating or becoming atrophied at any point. 

 it is reasonable to assume that at least some of the new plants in 

 time become detached, either through natural process of growth or 

 through accidental causes. 



F I(; . s. — Proliferating root of alfalfa, showing branching. \Yliil<' this character is quit<> 

 common, a single root docs not appear to branch more than three or four times at most. 



The type of proliferation described in this paper was found at 

 Highmore, S. Dak., in a fairly upright plant of Medicago falcata, 

 seed of which was secured from Orenburg Government, Russia, and 

 introduced under S. P. I. No. 28071. The mother plant was per- 

 fectly normal in the appearance of its growth above ground, and 

 attention was attracted to it only by the fact that smaller plants of 

 the same general appearance surrounded it, coining up even from 

 the portions of the row that had been cultivated frequently the sea- 

 son before. The plants were so large that they could be readily dis- 

 tinguished from seedlings and were arranged in such manner as 



[Cir. 115] 



