view. O f joints in the young stem usually about an inch below the 

 surface of the sell. The depth of the crown depends mainly 

 on the depth of planting. Roots may start from any joint 

 or node under or at the surface of the ground. In the early 

 stages of the plant the development of the roots is much 

 greater than the growth of the leaves, the roots of many 

 plants having obtained a length of 20 inches when the portion 

 of the plants above the ground is not over 5 inches in height. 

 The permanent root system is fibrous rnd branching, the 

 branches occurring mainly in the upper 2 feet of soil. Wheat 

 commonly is considered a short-rooted plant, but its roots 

 extend from 4 to 5 feet into the ground and go much deeper 

 than those of the ordinary hay grasses. A cop ous and con- 

 tinued moisture supply in the soi' tends to produce shallow- 

 rooted plants, while smaller and barely sufficient supplies 

 of soil water induce deeper rooting. The crop does not 

 thrive where conditions of the subsoil, such as a hardpan too 

 near the surface, interfere with the development of the root 

 system. If the seeding is shallow the temporary and the per- 

 manent roots form practically a single tuft, but if the seeding is 

 deep many of the permanent roots or those growing from the 

 crown are from one-half to 2 or 3 inches above the temporary 

 whorl. As soon as the permanent roots have become well 

 established, the temporary roots and the seed kernel are no 

 longer of any benefit to the growing plant. 



THE STEMS. 



The structure of the stems or culms varies with the kind of 

 wheat. In some types the stems are thin-walled and hollow 

 and in others either thick-walled or pithy. In all types the 

 stems are jointed, the joints being known as the nodes and the 

 parts between the joints as the internodes. The first stem, or 

 the one growing up directly from the seed, does not always 

 reach complete development, but a number of other stems are 

 thrown up from the crown and grow up to maturity. This 

 action of the plant, known as tillering or stooling, varies with 

 the variety and the season. At full growth well-developed 

 wheat plants are from 3 to 5 feet high, with about five to six 

 internodes in the erect portion of the stem. 



THE LEAVES. 



The leaves consist of the sheath, the blade, the ligule, and 

 the auricle. The sheath starts from the nodes or joints and 

 clasps the stem. The opening of the sheath is on the opposite 

 side from the blade, which is the part extending outward from 

 the stem and which varies in size, shape, texture, and vena- 



