136 ON THE ROOTS OF THE SUGAR-CANE, 
unhealthy, having become and remained so after five months 
growth, owing to the restrictions on the spreading of the roots by 
the cask. When taken out of the cask there appeared to be more 
roots than soil, and examined under the microscope, the fine root- 
hairs (trichomes) showed a diameter of one 250th to one 275th 
f an in 
cernible ; the rootlets were exceedingly brittle towards the lower 
end, and I feared that by attempting too much I might lose 
No roots tipped like Nos. 1 and 5 were found except with a dow? 
a tendency, that is to say, I found no lateral roots tipped —! 
tinct classes of roots, for being very frag} ing in the loam, 
which is not so easily duinaeoeeiven anor sr have missed 
‘them in consequence of the tips remaining in the soil. 
_ In the fields, young cane which has sprouted to only 6 to : 
inches above ground will have fine roots going to a depth a 
‘inches. All this would seem to indicate that cane like 
-., * To obtain a thorough idea of the i xamined 
“theonet Avg roots, this Plate should be ¢€ a) 
rates rts glass; the tip of root (fig. 2) would thus be seen 
