CONDITIONS OF PLANT LIFP:. 



N dealing with the conditions of 

 plant life it is well to dwell on 

 the fact that each species and 

 variety even requires conditions 

 of its own for its best development, 

 and that it is the object of scientific 

 culture to discover and provide those 

 conditions as nearly as possible. Thus, 

 recent experimentation has proved in- 

 contestably that flat cultivation is in- 

 comparably the best for corn and pota- 

 toes. The old-fashioned and long 

 continued ridge or hill culture destroyed 

 many of the most useful fibres of the 

 root system, for these extend out much 

 farther from the plant than is usually 

 supposed. It is now known also that 

 frequent shallow cultivation will do very 

 much to prevent the ill effects of drought 

 in the case of all crops where it can be 

 applied, and especially with fruits. The 

 top soil thus kept loose acts as a mulch 

 checking evaporation, and conserving 

 the moisture beneath. The best results 

 yet reached in apple culture have been 

 attained by keeping the ground fallow, 

 thus retaining all the fertility and moist- 

 ure of the soil for the trees alone, and 

 preventing the waste of this moisture 

 from the open ground by frequent shal- 

 low culture. Thus the trees get the 

 benefit of the immense quantity of 

 moisture that would have been trans- 

 pired through the leaves of the other 

 crop, and besides the frequent stirrings 

 of the soil have made the supply of 

 plant food stored therein more soluble 

 and more available for the use of the 

 trees. 



Another interesting discovery bearing 

 on the conditions of plant growth has 

 regard to the beet crop— a crop which 

 is of exceeding importance since it not 

 only yields three-fifths of the sugar sup- 

 lily of the world, l-ut is becoming more 



and more recognized as the best of cat- 

 tle foods for dairy purposes. Innumer- 

 able analyses of cross sectio;is of the 

 beet root have shown that the secretion 

 of sugar goes on to a comparatively 

 small extent in the upper end of the 

 root when that has been exposed to the 

 light, and that consequently the value 

 of the root both for sugar manufacture 

 and for feeding purposes is very much 

 increased when top of the root is kept 

 covered by soil. 



The processes of pollination are a 

 source of never failing interest to young 

 people. There are several facts of a 

 practical bearing that will bear empha- 

 sizing in dealing with this topic. Thus, 

 it will not do to take it for granted 

 now-a-days that flowers that have both 

 stamens and pistils are necessarily 

 self-fertile, or even that any amount 

 of cross fertilization among plants of 

 the same variety with perfect flowers 

 will avail to produce a fair crop of fruit. 

 Bartlett pears, for instance, are noto- 

 riously unproductive unless their blos- 

 soms are fertilized from some other 

 variety. Yet Bartlett blossoms are per- 

 fect and produce an abundance of pol- 

 len, which, however, is for the most 

 part impotent on Bartlett pistils. Sev- 

 eral kinds of apples have the same 

 defect. 



Such facts as these are beginning 

 to be known to all scientific growers. 

 But why should they not be known 

 also in every family that has a boy or 

 girl studying Botany m our schools ? 

 It certainly would be worth while to 

 take up many such facts in our classes 

 if it were only to create a stronger bond 

 between the family and the school. 



Some interesting investigations have 

 recently been made in connection with 

 the wonderful jjroduction of pollen in 



44,S 



