54 LIFE ON THE FARM. 



must pass through very fine, hair-like tubes, and 

 among closely packed cells; hence, it could not 

 possibly penetrate except in a dissolved condition. 



This is the reason that plants have so many roots 

 and leaves. The many small mouths make up a 

 sum equal to one large one. An animal has one 

 mouth, which serves the double purpose of eating 

 and drinking. A plant has thousands of little 

 mouths for eating, and thousands of still a differ- 

 ent kind for drinking. A plant may have a dozen 

 of its mouths completely destroyed, and still have 

 enough left to eat and drink with. It is quite 

 necessary for them to have so many mouths. 

 They cannot move about, and the food in both air 

 and soil is so widely scattered, and in such small 

 quantities in any one place, that they could not 

 gather in a sufficient supply if they were not thus 

 provided. 



The roots of plants are great lovers of water. 

 Since it is their office to supply the plant with this 

 necessary liquid, and in large quantities, too, they 

 seem to know where it is, and grow in that direc- 

 tion. There is always water in some place in the 

 ground. This is proved from wells in which water 

 stands at various levels during the entire year. 

 Besides, there is water held everywhere by the sur- 

 face tension of soil grains. It never escapes, except 

 by evaporation at the surface, and when it is taken 

 up by the roots of plants. Plants, trees especially, 

 growing near wells, sometimes almost fill up the 



