3-} THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



95% alcohol to remove excess of stain, dehydrate and clear. Nuclei 

 appear a beautiful deep blue, the collagen fibrils only take the 

 Orange-G while all other elements appear in various nuances of 

 eosin. The simplicity of this stain, the clean cut contrast between 

 the various tissue elements together with the permanency of the 

 colors commend this stain for routine work for the demonstration 

 of connective tissue. 



XVIII. THE EFFECT OF LIME AND ORGANIC MATTER 



ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALFALFA ROOTS 



M. A. Beeson, Dean o£ the Agricultural Division 



and Dean of the School of Agriculture. 



Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College 



and Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Numerous investigations have been conducted relating to the 

 growth of plants above ground, but relatively few i» regard to 

 production of that portion of the plant below the surface of the 

 ground, which gathers the mineral food. 



Sir John Dawes, 1847, stated that superphosphate caused a 

 much enhanced development of the root system of plants. Sachs, 

 1865, shov/ed that the more concentrated the nutrient solution was, 

 the shorter were the roots. Muller and Turgau, 1897, found that 

 nitrogen in a nutrient solution caused a vigorous growth of the 

 secondary roots, but that a' concentrated solution of mixed salts 

 retarded root growth. Watt in 1913 from some field experiments 

 found that superphosphate on wheat under semi-arid conditions 

 caused the young plant to send its roots into the subsoil. 



Root development may be affected by two principal factors ; 

 first, stimulating agents, such as fertilizer and moisture on the 

 root itself, and second, the physical characteristics of the soil. It 

 is a well-known fact that lime and organic matter tend to better 

 the physical condition of the soils, but their effect on soils when 

 studied in connection vv^ith root penetration on tight land has not 

 been so extensively studied, especially when the subsoil is taken 

 into consideration. 



Throughout the United States there are many soils which have 

 a rather impervious sub-soil of a clay hardpan nature. In Okla- 

 homa we have quite an area running from the Northeast to South- 

 west through the central portion of the state. This structure has 

 been known to be the cause of inany crop failures because it does 

 not allow for the proper movement of water and aeration which 

 are necessary for plant growth. Nor does it permit the roots of 

 common plants to develop and have a sufficient range of soil to 



