BREAD PLANTS 5 1 



thus lift the stalk. Have you sfeen corn, " lodged " 

 by wind, rise again in a short time? 



The corn plant's feeding roots are fibrous and 

 shallow in rich soil. In pulling up a plant we tear 

 them loose, and leave in the earth the delicate 

 root-hairs. Above ground a set of special roots 

 spring from one or more nodes of the stalk. These 

 are brace roots, stiff and tough, provided to hold 

 the stalk in the ground, and to brace it. They act 

 as anchors as well as props, resisting the pull and 

 push of the wind. How many sets of brace roots 

 can you find on a single plant? 



The farmer tries to hill the soil around the corn 

 plants with his cultivator when he gives the last 

 plowing. He knows that neither system of roots 

 can do its work without a good grip on the soil. 

 The deeper the roots are, the firmer the plant 

 stands, and the better its chances to get food and 

 water in abundance. 



KAFIR AND DURRA 



Two sorghum varieties that are not sugar- 

 producers have come to be extensively grown in 

 the semi-arid regions of what was once our Great 

 Plains. The merit o* these canes is that they 

 thrive in spite of drought, and they don't seem to 



