32 



THE WHEAT CrLTlTEIST. 



of the action of roofs ^ for on them, more tlian on any 

 other organ of a plant, depends the health of crops of 

 every kind. Avithont one smgle exception. That the 

 snbject has not received more attention is one of the 

 cnriosities of science. It is true there are many state- 

 ments of variable character and valne ; yet even more 

 specnlations respectiug the manner in which roots be- 

 have — theories of excretion — assertions regarding the 

 chemical action roots are said to exercise on dead mat- 

 ter ; but the qniet practical man who reads these be- 

 yond the atmosphere of science, is far from being 

 satisfied with what he finds in books. 



*' The qnestion as to whether the roots of plants are 

 or not endowed with any special excretory functions is 

 one which has occupied the attention of many natm*al- 

 ists, as l)eiDg one of considerable importance, as well to 

 the vegetable physiologist as to the agriculturist, in its 

 application to the principles of alternation of crops. 

 Xo absolute conclusion has as yet been come to, the 

 aflirmative as well as the negative having been respec- 

 tively maintained, either from general induction, or more 

 rarely from direct observation and experiment. The 

 opinion, however, that no such excretions take place, has 

 been the most generally adopted. 



The impossibility of closely following under the 

 microscope, in their natural circinnstances, vegetable 

 phenomena which take place under groimd, and conse- 

 quently in the dark, and in an opaque medium, is ob- 

 vious. As a nearest approach to it. Gasparrini has 

 caused the seeds of various plants to germinate under 

 glass, in water, or in well- washed sand, in the dark or 

 under difiused light, and thus examined their roots with- 

 out disturl)ance in variotts stao-es and at various seasons. 



