CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 267 



Theory among many of the early farmers had it that 

 a period of cool days was necessary for stooling, therefore 

 when this period came it was as a rule hailed with joy. 

 This is what we should call stooling under forced condi- 

 tions, such as would not result in well filled heads from 

 the increased stools. 



It is true that a cool period after the soil has warmed 

 up in the spring and growth of the young plant commenced 

 will cause stooling, but why? Because the rootlets are 

 gathering in the moisture laden with plant elements and 

 starting it on its way to light and sunshine, when the at- 

 mosphere cools to that degree that there is no evaporation 

 for the leaf, the movement up the main stalk ceases. 



CAUSE OF STOOLING. 



The moisture and plant elements being gathered in by 

 the little hair roots or feeders must materialize somewhere, 

 consequetnly the additional stooling or increased number 

 of suckers or stalks. Now these little new shoots soon be- 

 come full fledged stalks. The consequence is an increased 

 leaf surface, and when the clear, warm, sunny weather 

 comes on and the leaves are fanned by the warm southern 

 breezes evaporation from the leaf surface is greatly in- 

 creased, and each warm period as the leaves increase in 

 size and number brings a greater demand on the roots 

 for moisture. Under the soil conditions shown on the left, 

 the time is sure to come when the requisite amount of mois- 

 ture cannot be supplied, and when this time comes we have 

 a condition quite similar to the oil lamp when the oil has 

 been all taken out of the bowl by the burning blaze at 

 the top of the wick. Steadily the soil becomes drier like 

 the wick and finally these stools begin to die off. When 

 this period is reached the real damage to the final crop is 



