HOW PLANTS DO THEIR WORK 289 



roots? They are really clinging to the root hairs. Of 

 course in pulling up the plants you pulled off most of these 

 delicate hairs. If, then, these hairs are penetrating the 

 spaces between the soil particles are they in close con- 

 tact with the film water on the particles? They are 

 so surrounded with this moisture that they absorb it. 

 The next experiment will help you to see how they do 

 this. 



Experiment. — Remove the shell from the large end of 

 an egg, leaving a space about as large as a quarter. Be 

 careful not to break the skin. This is easily done by 

 gently striking the egg till the shell is full of small cracks, 

 then picking it off in little pieces. Make a small hole 

 through both shell and skin at the small end of the egg. 

 Over this, place the end of a glass tube four or five inches 

 long. Stick the tube firmly to the egg by means of sealing 

 wax or paraffin. Another way to fasten the tube on is 

 as follows : cut from the lower end of a candle a piece about 

 one-half inch long, bore a hole in this just the size of the 

 tube. This may be done by pushing a nail through it. 

 Heat the end gently, and stick it to the egg, so that the hole 

 in the candle covers up the small hole in the egg. Heat a 

 long nail or piece of wire and rub it over the edges of the 

 candle, fastening it more securely to the egg. Now place 

 the tube in the hole in the candle, and with the hot wire 

 fasten it securely. Fill a wide-mouthed bottle, a pickle or 

 olive bottle, with water and set the egg with the large end 

 in the mouth of the bottle so that the membrane will be 

 surrounded by the water. Set it aside for a few hours or 

 overnight and then examine. What has happened? 

 What pushed the white of egg up into the tube ? Lift up 



