144 EXPERIMENT WITH THE WITCH-ELM. 



turnips in the rows (bed) were as small and yellow 

 as any in the land. As those in the row (d), about 

 three feet distant from the land (<?), received a double 

 increase, it proves that they drew as much nourish- 

 ment from the land (e) as from («) where they 

 stood. In their OAvn soil they must have extended 

 a yard all around, or else they could not have 

 reached the land (e), and it is therefore probable 

 that these few roots penetrated more than another 

 yard, which gave these turnips their increased size. 



" A chalk-pit, contiguous to a barn, the area of 

 which was about fifty perches, was made clean, and 

 swept, so that there was not even the appearance 

 of a vegetable, any more than upon the barn-floor ; 

 straw was then thrown into the pit for the cattle to 

 lie on. About three years after, when the dung 

 which had been made thereon was hauled away, it 

 was found that the top of the chalk was covered all 

 over Avith roots, which came from a witch-elm 

 which was not more than five or six yards in length 

 from top to bottom, and which was about five yards 

 above, and eleven yards from the area of the pit. 

 Thus in three years these roots had extended them- 

 selves eight times the height of the tree." 



If, as was perceived in the first illustration, tur- 

 nips cast their roots six and nine feet horizontally 

 to obtain nourishment, the distance to which a full- 

 grown fruit tree will throw out its fibrous roots can 

 hardly be computed. Mr. J. J. Thomas, of New 



