164 
leaves, and fall upon the earth just above the tips of 
the root branches. 
Fig. 139 shows you the rhubarb plant. This has 
quite.a different sort, of .teot.- ‘Now,. if the rie. 
barb leaves were like those of the Caladium, unless 
the rhubarb _ root- branches 
changed their direction, these 
root-branches would grow very 
thirsty indeed. 
But as it is, the water pours 
down these leaves toward the 
center of the plant, and reaches 
the ground almost directly over 
the straight, fleshy root, with 
its downward-growing branches ; 
and we see that these root- 
branches are watered by the 
leaves above just as carefully as 
are those of the Caladium. 
By knowing one thing about 
a plant, often you can guess 
that another thing is so. 
You understand now that when the leaves of a plant 
shed rain water after the fashion of the Ca/adium, the 
chances are that its root-branches spread out as far 
as the drip of the water; and that the root of the 
rhubarb points almost straight downward, is told you 
by the drip of water from the rhubarb leaves. 
