130 



The roots generally do not seem to have the power of adapting them- 

 selves, like the roots of many other plants, to overcoming difficulties. 

 On meeting a large stone they do not feel their way under or over it, 

 but apparently become injured. If the soil is either too wet or too 

 dry, they decjy ; if they are cut through, they burst out at the severed 

 end into numerous branches of equal thickness, which continue to 

 grow in much the same direction. r l hey do not approach the surface 

 nearer than about 2 inches, and the depth to which they descend, depends 

 on the nature of the soil, modified by deep cultivation and drainage. 

 Under favourable conditions the horizontal roots will be found at the 

 depth of 2 feet 6 inches from the surface, and the vertical roots from 

 the base at a depth of 4 feet 6 inches They grow rapidly, when the 

 soil is rich and in good tilth, at a rate of 2 feet in a month for 

 vigorous roots starting from the bulb I have traced them to a dis- 

 tance of 17 feet from the stem, but their length depends on the 

 encouragement, as it were, that they receive for extension 



The evidence afforded by their structure, points to the soil best 

 suited to them, — a deep loam, well drained, but retentive of moisture 

 from containing a large proportion of humus. 



STEM. 



The underground 'bulb' is the storehouse of food-material which is 

 used up in the formation of roots and leaves and in their growth, in 

 the formation of suckers, and finally in the development of the flower- 

 ing shoot and the fruit. If a sufficient supply of material is not stored 

 up in the bulb when the flowering shoot is in process of formation, the 

 bunch will only bear a few ' hands/ This want of stored material 

 may be due to various causes : the roots may not have been able to do 

 their work properly, the leaves may have been damaged, or new 

 suckers may have been allowed to drain the parent. 



When a bunch is cut, or naturally when the fruit has ripened and 

 dropped, the leaves and stem deca}^ while the food- material in them 

 passes down into the bulb. Thence, very slowly and gradually, it 

 finds its way into the bulb of the succeeding plant. The old bulb and 

 its heir, the newer bulb, are connected by a large surface, and threads 

 of communication pass from one to the other. The connexion may 

 last and continue on to a third, a fourth, or a fifth new bulb. The 

 older bulbs are a provision against accidents, giving up their treasure- 

 ed store, grudgingly, as it were, so long as the young plants have roots 

 .and leaves by which to supply themselves. 



LEAVES. 



Compare the leaves with those of the coco-nut, which are divided 

 naturally into ribbons so that they seem to enjoy the stormy winds 

 of the seashore. The leaf of the banana shows very clearly that it was 

 developed under conditions where only gentle breezes lazily move it, 

 and as the structure of the root, points to a forest soil as the cradle of 

 the species, so the leaf indicates an open glade sheltered from the 

 rough winds by surrounding woodland Thus we get hints about 

 situation, and the advisability of leaving shelter belts in clearing 

 forest land. In exposed spots where the leaf is torn into threads, it 

 cannot properly perform its functions, and the consequence is that the 

 bunch is small and of little value. 



