CHAPTER II 



THE ROOT 



20. THE ROOT SYSTEM.— The offices of the root are to 

 hold the plant in place, and to gather food. Not all the 

 food materials, however, are gathered by the roots. 



21. The entire mass of roots of any plant is called its 

 root system. The root system may be annual, biennial or 

 perennial, herbaceous or 

 woody, deep or shallow, 

 large or small. 



22. KINDS OF ROOTS.— 

 A strong leading central 

 root, which runs directly 

 downwards, is a tap-root. 

 The side or spreading roots are usually 

 smaller. Plants which have such a 

 root system are said to be tap -rooted. 

 Examples are red clover, beet, turnip, 

 radish, burdock, dandelion. Fig. 



23. A fibrous root system is one 

 which is composed of many nearly 

 equal slender branches. The greater 

 number of plants have fibrous roots. 

 Examples are many common grasses, 

 wheat, oats, corn, and most trees. 

 The buttercup in Fig. 2 has a fibrous 

 root system. 



24. SHAPE AND EXTENT OF THE ROOT SYSTEM. — The 

 depth to which roots extend depends on the kind of plant, 

 and the nature of the soil. Of most plants the roots 



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