254 HOW CROPS GROW. 
tirely by the roots of gorse, growing at a distance of 6 
feet from the drain. (Jour. Roy. Ag. Soc., 1, 364.) 
In New Haven, Conn., certain wells are so obstructed by 
the aquatic roots of the elm trees, as to yeu cleaning 
out every two or three years. 
This aquatic tendency has been repeatedly siecle in 
the poplar, cypress, laurel, turnip, mangel-wurzel, and 
grasses. 
Henrici surmised that the roots which most cultivated 
plants send down deep into the soil, even when the latter 
is by no means porous or inviting, are designed especially 
to bring up water from the subsoil for the use of the plant. 
The following experiment was devised for the purpose of 
testing the truth of this view. On the 13th of May, 
1862, a young raspberry plant, having but two leaves, 
was transplanted into a large glass funnel filled with gar- 
den soil, the throat of the funnel being closed with a paper 
filter. The funnel was supported in the mouth of a large 
glass jar, and its neck reached nearly to the bottom of the 
latter, where it just dipped into a quantity of water. The 
soil in the funnel was at first kept moderately moist by 
occasional waterings. The plant remained fresh and 
slowly grew, putting forth new leaves. After the lapse 
of several weeks, four strong roots penetrated the filter 
and extended down the empty funnel-neck, through which 
they emerged, on the 21st of June, and thenceforward 
spread rapidly in the water of the jar. From this time 
on, the soil was not watered any more, but care was taken 
to majntain the supply in the jar. The plant continued to 
develope slowly; its leaves, however, did not acquire a 
vivid green color, but remained pale and yellowish; they 
did not wither until the usual time late in autumn. The 
roots continued to grow, and filled the water more and 
more. Near the end of December the plant had 7-8 
leaves, and a height of 8 inches. The water-roots were 
vigorous, very long, and beset with numerous fibrils and 
