108 WATER 



water and see how quickly the water passes through the 

 whole lump. 



Capillarity acts in all directions. Thus if we lay a 

 lamp wick flat upon a table with one of its ends in a little 

 pool of water the other end will soon be wet. Capillar- 

 ity acts faster downward than in any other direction. 

 Can you explain why this is so? When you put a drop 

 of ink upon a blotter, how does it act? What causes it 

 to act in this manner? Think of all the examples of 

 capillarity you can. Bodies must be porous in order 

 that there may be the little holes in which capillarity may 

 act. If we wish to stop capillarity we must close the 

 holes. 



We have learned that water is necessary for plants 

 and that the 'soil must be kept damp if we expect the 

 plants to grow well. How do you suppose that the soil 

 holds the water? Did you ever see water put into a 

 saucer which was placed under a flower pot? How did 

 the plant obtain the water? All soils are not the same 

 in their ability to hold, or take up, water and the follow- 

 ing experiment will show the right kind of soil to use for 

 flowers. 



Experiment 54. How Water is Held in the Soil. 



Apparatus: Chalk box, or other small box, with 

 four or five holes in one side large enough to hold stu- 

 dent lamp chimneys, four or five student lamp chimneys, 

 .with. cheese cloth tied over their smaller ends, pan. 



