64 Practical Farming 



the soil dissolved in the soil water, is the mass of fine root 

 hairs just back of the pointed tip, and that instead of 

 being the softest part the tip of the root is really a little 

 older than the part just back of it. 



We have seen that the growth in a tree is carried on by 

 the increase in cells circling around it under the bark. 

 The same is true with the roots. The protective cover of 

 bark is carried to the remotest rootlet, and the cells increase 

 under it at the tip and around it everywhere. The added 

 growth at the tip imder the root-cap pushes the root for- 

 ward in the soil, while the outer part wears away to some 

 extent and is constantly renewed. You will understand 

 at once that this is a wise provision, for if the extreme 

 tip were really the youngest growing point it could never 

 insert itself among the particles of the soil. The root 

 hairs, which are the means through which the plant gets 

 food from the soil, dry up and die off as the root gets older, 

 while new ones are constantly being formed out near the 

 advancing root-cap; so that the roots are always foraging 

 in new soil. This illustrates the error that a multitude 

 of farmers make in putting manure or fertilizers only 

 in the hill for corn. It would do the corn far more good 

 at the critical period of earing if it were in the middle 

 between the rows, where the advancing roots would find it 

 at earing time. In the hill the roots soon pass it and are 

 foraging in poorer soil which fails to sustain the growth 

 started by the manure in the hill, and the corn plants 

 soon show that they are faihng. Knowing, too, that the 

 portion of the roots engaged in getting food from the 

 soil is a short part near the tip of the rootlets, we can 

 understand the folly of running a plow deeply through 



