346 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPoRT. 
reaches, it may be advisable, in preparing a soil for such crops, to 
plow deeper than we usually do, and thus mellow and fertilize the 
soil at the point where the roots can be more directly benefited by 
culture and fertility.” The writer states that this “is only pre- 
liminary work in what seems to be a most important and fertile 
field.” 
Observations were made on the root system of the pea, lettuce, 
endive, spinach, asparagus, onion, radish, beet, swiss chard, parsnip, 
carrot, muskmelon, cabbage, kohl rabi, and celery. These results 
show that all of the plants secure their nutriment from a much 
larger area than is generally supposed. The writer says that “it is 
obvious that the effects of hill manuring must be chiefly upon the 
young plant and that where no fertilizer is applied beyond the 
limits of the hill, it seems probable that the plant receives little 
benefit from the manure at.the time when it is completing its 
growth and maturing its seed.” 
The writer speculates as to the probable use of the deeply pene- 
trating roots of vegetables, particularly in the case of the pea, 
parsnip, etc. ‘Certainly they are not required for the purpose 
of sustaining the plant against wind. If they were in search of 
food they would hardly penetrate in this direction, for we have 
many examples in which the roots of plants have extended toward 
their food with a directness that seems almost like instinct. The 
fact that the fibrous roots are almost always most numerous in the 
upper layers of the soil would seem to indicate that a dearth of 
moisture had not existed here.” 
The root system of various other plants was examined later. 
The table below presents in a concise form the results of the in- 
vestigation: 
Greatest Maximum Horizonta 
depth. depth length. 
n. 
Name. In. In. 
(Orchard Orass,..b ca. A Ny he eho 36 21 oat 
shall meadows Oat) TASS sc 4 ae.p sess eos hae epee 30 21 24 
ieentucky MGC OfAss. srk sire ceded Seer es 37 Bisel ae 
Mea dow -LeSciie ara serene ctcnek micre ele age ote eran 32 12 9 
REC tOp OT aSSihes eel Ae atom eosneae ae ee ie 40 22 9 
Wedissin red C1GV G8 562. so oe spe one, Sustateh ee oa 34 21 12 
Meadow foxstathe 0.5... x Sse ode id Siete ace 34 18 18 
Bolkhiaka- CLONE c.-<'. 6-5 acs ose. « ore se hodee masa 33 18 18 
ROME S OT ASS Sah, eine hve cic eimnerane ans. hatte in te ae porate 25 20 24 
Mellow trefoil cise «nye ei sean he ee eae 20 <5 Snr rere 15 
Wihite clo verage oie haere cecehs ere he teetece ee eter 24 15 9 
a 
