Study of an Herbaceous Plant. 31 



Compare the bark of the roots with that of the stem. 

 Which is the thicker ? tougher ? smoother ? Is there a 

 definite arrangement of the leaves ? of the branches ? What 

 do you find below each branch ? Do you find buds between 

 the leaves and the stem ? The angular space between the 

 upper side of the leaf or its stem and the stem of the plant 

 is called the axil of the leaf. Are the branches and buds 

 axillary ? What terminates a branch ? Cut a thin cross- 

 section of the stem near its base and compare it with a sec- 

 tion from the upper part. Compare these sections with root 

 sections. Cut a piece of the stem an inch or more long 

 and put one end into your ink. Crush a few inches of the 

 stem and also a part of the root. Which is the toughest in 

 the center? Bend and double branches and roots. Which 

 are the more flexible ? If the wind blows very hard, what 

 effect has its force upon the stem ? Which roots are tried 

 by the wind, those on the side next to the wind or those on 

 the opposite side? Should lateral roots be strong like 

 masts or like ropes ? 



Cut thin slices from the stem which you placed in ink. 

 What part, the skin, the fibers, or the center, absorbed the 

 ink? 



Get for the next exercise a straight sprout from the 

 roots or base of some tree. Sprouts that have come up 

 from stumps or from cut roots in an orchard will answer 

 our purpose. Poplar-trees furnish such sprouts. It mat- 

 ters not whether the leaves have fallen or not. The sprouts 

 must not have branches. 



