ROOTS I I 



We have now learned five important things that 

 roots do for plants, namely : 



Roots hold plants firmly in place. 



They absorb water from the soil for the plants. 



They absorb food from the soil for the plants. 



Some roots store food for the future use of the 

 plant. 



Some roots produce new plants. 



How do the roots do this work ? To answer this 

 question it will be necessary to study the habit of 

 growth of the roots of our plants. 



HABIT OF GROWTH OF ROOTS 



The proper place to begin this study is in the 

 field or garden. So we will make another excursion, 

 and this time we will take with us a pick-axe or 

 mattock, a shovel or two, a sharp stick, a quart or 

 half-gallon pitcher, and several buckets of water. 

 Arrived in the field, we will select a well-developed 

 plant, say, of corn, potato or cotton. Then we will 

 dig a hole about six feet long, three feet wide, and 

 five or six feet deep, close to the plant, letting one 

 side come about four or five inches from the base 

 of the plant. It will be well to have this hole run 

 across the row rather than lengthwise with it. Then 

 with the pitcher pour water about the base of the 

 plant and wash the soil away from the roots. Gently 

 loosening the soil with the sharpened stick will 

 hasten this work. In this way carefully expose the 

 roots along the side of the hole, tracing them as 



