PRODUCTIVE 

 PLANT HUSBANDRY 



CHAPTER I 



PLANT LIFE 



Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Bible. 



ALL animals used by man are dependent upon plant life. Man 

 himself is directly or indirectly dependent upon it. Plant life 

 either furnishes food for man directly or the nourishment neces- 

 sary for the production of the animal food he eats. Plants also 

 furnish much of the fiber used by man in industrial arts, and for 

 his clothing. Likewise they furnish much of the building material 

 and fuel used by him. 



Man is interested in the soil chiefly because of the crops which 

 it may be made to produce. His chief interest is, therefore, in 

 plants not in soil. 



Agriculture is the science and art of producing plants and ani- 

 mals and their products for the benefit of man. It is the oldest 

 and most important occupation known because it is fundamental 

 to all other occupations of man. Indeed no civilization can exist 

 long without agriculture. 



The Cycle of Plant Life. The plants used by man are nearly 

 all very complex in their structure, and their physiology is as in- 

 teresting as it is important. The study may begin with the ger- 

 mination of the seed. The little plant soon develops a stem from 

 which will spring both roots and leaves. The complexity of the 

 young plant is rapidly multiplied. Later on buds are formed, then 

 flowers and seeds. In time the plant may die and the species 

 survive only through the remaining seeds. 



Germination. The conditions for germination of any given 

 kind of seeds are: proper amount of moisture, warmth, and air. 

 Light is not necessary during this stage of growth (Fig. 1). 



Of these conditions for growth, moisture and warmth are the 

 ones most essential for consideration, as air is usually present. 



