22 



ROOTS 



years. The radish is a plant in which the food is used for seed 

 production the same season that it is stored. The turnip develops 

 the fleshy root one year and uses it for seed production the 

 second year. 



Food for Man. The supply of stored food in the roots of 

 many plants makes them valuable for food of man and other 



FIG. 11. Carrot showing fleshy root. FIG. 12. Sweet potato showing cluster of fleshy 



roots. 



animals if used before they start to form the shoot for flower 

 and seed production. But if we wait until this shoot is well 

 advanced, we find the root becoming dry and pithy, owing to 

 the loss of moisture and food which has been passed on into this 

 new growth. In some plants, this storage for future use is 

 performed by the stems or leaves. (Page 51.) The sweet 

 potato (Fig. 12) is a plant which seldom produces seeds in our 

 northern latitude, but uses the accumulated food of the large 



