Investigations at Peru, Nebraska. 



31 



root extent was even much greater. In regard to corn, height growth and 

 root depth were about equal. However, what the corn lacked in relative 

 depth was adequately compensated for by widely penetrating and exceed- 

 ingly well branched roots. A comparison of the seedUng stages of wheat and 

 oats shows that the roots of the former spread more widely. At this stage 

 of development the wheat roots were lighter in color, tougher, and, although 

 abundantly supphed with root-hairs, they did not occur in such density as 

 on the oats. The surface roots of wheat, when compared with those of 

 oats and barley, are found to be both less numerous and extensive. Thus, 

 the abihty of oats to more thoroughly exhaust the surface soil of water and 

 nutrients, a belief current among agriculturaUsts, may have some foundation 

 in fact. Root habit gives a clue to the cause of this phenomenon. 



Table 1 gives a summary of the development of the several crops at various 

 stages of growth and affords an easy basis for comparison. 



Some preliminary examinations were made of the development of roots 

 and above-ground parts of crop plants when grown as isolated individuals. 

 In general, both were found, in every case, to be more extensive than where 

 the crops were grown under the competition of normal field conditions (c/. 

 Weaver, 1920). 



