120 



THE GARDENERS MONTHLY 



[April, 



truly a cap, consisting of a number of layers of 

 quite dense cells surrounding the extremity. 

 These root-caps vary in size in diiferent species 

 of plants; sometimes they are so small that only 

 with the high powers of the microscope can they 

 be seen, while on the other hand they may be 

 readily observed with the naked eye. It is now 

 generally understood that a root does not elon- 

 gate throughout its whole length, as is known to 

 be the case in the young and growing stem, but 

 its growth in length takes place at a single point 

 a very short distance from the extremity. The 

 stem usually grows in the open air, with plenty 

 of room on all sides, while the root generally 

 penetrates the much denser substance of the soil, 

 where elongation would prove fatal to the deli- 

 cate root hairs which are thrown out from them 

 on all sides for the absorption of nourishment. 

 Growth in length by elongation of the whole 

 root might also cause twisting and breaking of 

 the roots themselves, and a general disturbance 

 of the soil. 



Tlie "growing point " of a root is situated just 

 back of the root-cap, and forms the dividing line 

 between the root and its cap. The position of 

 this point of growth, as related to that of the 

 cap, suggests the use of this latter structure. All 

 young formative tissue is very delicate, and 

 easily destroyed by any external influences. 

 Should this layer of thin-walled, newly formed 

 cells be situated at the very extremity, then, as 

 groAvth proceeded, these cells of great delicacy 

 would come in direct contact with tlie rough and 

 sharp edges of the grains of the soil, and soon be 

 broken down and destroyed. It is plain that 

 the important role which the root-cap plays in 

 the vegetable economy is that of protection to 

 the tender growing within, and which it always 

 80 completely surrounds. As these outer cells 

 of the cap are worn away, there must be a source 

 of supplies for the protective department, and 

 this is found in the formation of now layei-s of 

 cells on the inside of the cap, and from the pro- 

 tected tissue. 



The growing point, situated near the tip of 

 every root, then, has a double ofiice to perform : 

 the laying doAvn of new tissue for the growth of 

 the root, and the meeting of the losses by wear 

 and tear of its protecting cap. 



It may be said, then, that it is not the root- 

 tip which does the work of absorption. Neither 

 do plants "sponge" for a living, but take in 

 their food in a different way, which will be left 

 until another time to describe. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Typographical. — After the proof left the office 

 last month, the printers had to make some alter- 

 ing in the setting, and the consequence was a 

 running together of ideas in the Kansas and 

 Pennsylvania notes at the heads of the columns. 

 The first three lines on p. 95 belonging to p. 9G, and 

 vice versa. The intelligent reader no doubt saw 

 and corrected as he read. Accidents happen in 

 the best regulated families, and we suppose the 

 jjrinters are no exception. 



The Phylloxera. — We find the ibUowing in 

 the London Journal of Horticulture : " Owing to 

 the disastrous effects of the Phyjloxera in the 

 French vineyards, the desirability of importing 

 storks from America was urged on the ground 

 that the vigorous character of the American 

 varieties were by that insect invulnerable. This 

 appears, however, to be simply ' tall talk,' for a 

 correspondent in the Prairie Farmer reports that 

 he has recently taken up 2,000 vines in nearly 

 twenty varieties, and that every sort was infested; 

 the strong growers, however, being the most free 

 from the pest, but all were attacked. The ' lit- 

 tle villains were found on the roots bj- millions.' " 

 Our cotemporary has not clearly seen the point 

 of the case. The report of Mr. Planchon, and on 

 which the demand — not exactly for American 

 kinds, but for two of them. Concord and Clinton, 

 — was brought about, showed, not that these two 

 were not attacked, but that their rapid rooting 

 and fibrous character enabled them to resist the 

 attacks of the insect more successfully. Profes- 

 sor Planchon was well aware that the phylloxera 

 attacked these two varieties, and yet their value 

 as stocks is much more than "tall talk," and for 

 the reasons given. 



Sunken Forests. — Near all bodies of water, 

 especially near old lakes, or the mouths of 

 rivers, are forests under the surface, which show 

 how ages ago trees grew where now nothing of 

 the sort is found, or where other features of quite 

 a different character exist on the surface. In 

 Southern New-Jersey quite a trade is done in 

 wood of the white cedar, mined from many feet 

 beneath the surface. Ii\ digging wells in Illi- 

 nois, it is by no means uncommon to come on 

 large trunks of Red Cedar, and New Orleans is 

 over a complete Red Cedar forest, one hundred 

 and sixty feet below the surface. According to 

 Nature, a forest is also under the city of London. 

 It tells us that an interesting geological discovery 

 has been recently made during excavations for a 



