II 



Fi}. 



8. The roots of the tur- 

 nip and dandelion. 



some perennials die in the autumn, and these plants store up food 

 for their future use in their roots. Some of these with which you are 



familiar are the carrot, turnip, beet, parsnip, bur- 

 dock, blue weed, and dandelion If you pull up 

 any of these in the fall, you will notice that, just 

 next the stem, they have a larg-e thickened root, 

 from which smaller roots branch off. This 

 thickened part of the root is packed full 

 of food to be used by the plant the next 

 springy. Often the farmer takes advantage 

 of such plants and, instead of leaving- the 

 roots in the earth for the plant's use next 

 spring, pulls them up in the fall and uses 

 them for himself or for his cattle. Many 

 of you, no doubt, have helped to gather 

 in turnips, carrots, and beets. Some time, 

 when vou have a chance, leave a few of 

 these in the ground and see what becomes of them next summer. Before 

 passing on, I will give you a question to think about. Would you take 

 the same means of destroying biennial and perennial weeds as you 

 would of destroying annual weeds ? Some common biennial and 

 perennial weeds are burdock, blue weed, chicory, thistles, plantain, and 

 dandelion. 



These, then, are the three uses of roots : i. To hold the plant in 

 place ; 2. To absorb food and water; 3. To act as storehouses of food 

 for the future use of the plant. 



Now, there is one thing I must ask you to notice before going any 

 further, and that is, that not all parts of a plant beneath the earth are roots. 

 Some plants have stems growing in the soil ; and many people mistake 

 these stems for roots. How many of you, for example, would call the 

 potato a root of the potato plant ? It is 

 not, however ; and if you will compare a 

 potato with a carrot, which is a true root, 

 you will notice some points in which they 

 differ. You have often noticed the " eyes " 

 of a potato. You will not find any such 

 '* eyes ' in a carrot. These eyes are buds 

 just the same as, though looking a little 

 different from, the ones you have noticed 

 on the stem and branches of a tree. 

 Besides, if you look very closely, you will find little scale-like leaves just 

 beside the eyes. These, however, soon rub off and you may not be 

 able to see them. And then, if you carefully pull up a potato plant on 

 which the potatoes have begun to form, you will find that the branches 

 on which they are borne are not branches of the root but of the stem, 

 appearing just above, that is, in the axil of a leaf. True roots do 

 not bear these buds or leaves, and they never start in the axil of a leaf. 

 The potato is simply the swollen end of a branch of the stem and is 

 called a tuber. Examine in the same wav the Canadian thistle, and couch 



Fiff- 9- Showing the eyes of a potato. 



