THE ROOT 37 



Roots and Water. 



Sow some peas in an ordinary sieve filled with 

 damp sawdust, and hang the sieve up. The roots of 

 the seedlings grow down in the ordinary way, and at 

 length project through the meshes of the sieve. Then, 

 however, they usually change their course, and turning 

 horizontally, they creep along the underneath surface 

 of the sieve, or even grow vertically upwards into the 

 damp sawdust. The attraction of the roots for water 

 here overcomes their tendency to grow downwards. 



Make careful drawings of the apparatus, and of the 

 results noticed. 



Propagation by Cuttings. 



It is convenient to grow small cuttings in boxes and 

 to transplant them afterwards into garden beds. Boxes 

 for this purpose are prepared in the same manner as 

 boxes for seed planting, but it is desirable to use either 

 sand or very sandy soil. 



Having prepared a box, proceed to plant cuttings of 

 such plants as roses, geranium, willow, lilac, or coleus. 

 Ascertain from a gardener what cuttings " strike " easily. 

 Select a branch which is fairly firm and woody, but not 

 too young and soft. Cut it into pieces of 4 to 6 inches 

 in length, making the cut at the lower end close below a 

 node or joint, as it is from the nodes that roots arise in 

 the largest numbers. Cut off most of the foliage in 

 order to reduce the loss of water which takes place from 

 leaf surfaces (see chapter on leaves), and place the 

 cuttings in the soil, embedding them to a depth of from 



