match; a sort of black hole from which issue 
daily rays of light to enlighten us dim speci¬ 
mens of the human race divine. . . 
Our politicians always swear, 
•lust when they’ve planned their biggest steal, 
The public weal’s their greatest care; 
But they’ve a wheel within that weal.— Puck. 
Okra can be raised in the North as well as in 
the South. It is strange so much is tbonght 
of it there and so little here . . Sow parsnips 
early. Long Smooth or Flollow Crown and 
Sutton's Student are the beat sorts. , . It 
is a wise fly that knowns the difference between 
oleomargarine and butter.—Hackensack Re¬ 
publican, . . Did vou ever see a cherry’s 
spit? Yonker’s Gazette. Did you ever hear 
a peach's stoue?—Saratoga Sun. . . “Em¬ 
ma U "asks the Springfield (O.) Tribune this 
extraordinary question: “Do you think it 
right for a girl to sit on a young man's lap, 
eveu it she is engaged to him ?" Whereupon 
the editor gets off a very extraordinary false¬ 
hood “ We have had no experience in the 
mutter referred to” ho says. Why didn’t he 
say, “ If it was onr girl and our lap, yes; if 
it was another girl and our lap. ye*; but if 
it was our girl and another fellow's lap, never.” 
—Chicago Tribune. . . Mr. Vick's maga¬ 
zine for May gives a colored plate of Coleus. 
Few plants are more showy—few possess a 
wider range of brilliant leaves. Mr. Vick se¬ 
lects for his specimens Hero. Multicolor, 
George Bueyard, Garnett, Souv. de Lierval, 
Kentish Fire, Prince Albert, Seventy-six, 
Verscbaffeltii major, and the old Verschaffeltii 
which is still one of the best. . . How to 
get rid ot Couch Grass (Tritieum repens)— 
iustburyit! Nothing is easier. . . Young 
trees should now be washed with lime and 
soap or something of the kind. Color with 
miueral paint or lamp-black. It is now the 
season when the borer deposits its eggs. Our 
experience is that such washes are distasteful 
to this insect, for which reason trees so treated 
are passed by. . . Mr. Ives uses gypsum on 
manure heaps thinking that the sulphuric 
acid in the gypsum unites with the ammonia 
in the manure, forming sulphate of ammonia 
which is not volatile. . . Mr. C. A. Green 
thinks that it will pay to lay a board between 
the rows of Strawberries tor the pickers to 
walk on and to keep the soil beneath moist 
and loose. . . Mr. Vick says, for squash- 
bugs, use a teaspoonful of saltpeter to a gallon 
of water. 
of older and more hardened cells. Why this Is so 
is readily understood. As the root pushes Its 
way Into the ground It meets with much resist¬ 
ance, and the cells that are Just forming would 
be too soft to bear the hardship of penetrating 
the hard soil. 
The absorption of plant food takes place through 
the root-hairs or fibrils, plainly Been In figure 188. 
These little organs are so small that they can 
seldom be seen with the naked eye. There are no 
openings or mouths on the roots through which 
the food passes. The nourishment must all be 
dissolved, that Is- In a fluLd or watery state, so 
t hat It cau bo Imbibed through the thin walls ot 
1 he root-halre. You will see from this that plants 
live by drinking rather than eat lug. The liquid 
t int Is thus Imbibed is called cruris sap, and passes 
Ihrough cell alter cell as It rises upward to the 
leaves of the plants, where tt is assimilated and 
then used for the building of new cells. The root- 
liatrs are only found on the young fibrous roots; 
when the skin becomes too crusty the root-hairs 
perish. They alBO perish In the fall when growth 
ceases, which Indicates that the proper time to 
t ransplant trees and shrubs la In the fall and win¬ 
ter, when there are but few root-hairs to be In¬ 
jured. 
and how they manage to absorb food for the 
plant. All plants, and every part of a plant, the 
leaves, the twigs, the wood, the roots, are made up 
of a multitude of separate cavities or little cham¬ 
bers, called cells. These cells are so small that 
TALK ON BOTANY.—NO. 2 
UNCLE MAKE, 
Roots. 
In the last talk on botany I spoke of the seed 
and how It begins to grow. We noticed that when 
a sound seed la put In a place where. It gets the 
necessary amount of moisture and warmth, It be¬ 
gins to swell up, the embryo breaks through the 
seed-coat, and It then grows In two directions, one 
part rising upward into the air, the other going 
downward Into the sou. The portion that, grows 
upward, forming the top of the tree or plant, we 
learned was called the ascending axis, and the 
portion growing downward, forming the roots, we 
named the descending axis, in this talk we will 
follow the. descending axis, or. In other words, the 
roots, and try 10 find out what they really are, and 
what ser vice they render the plant. 
In the first place what is the root? “ Why,” you 
say, “ the root Is that part of the plant which Is 
under ground." That Is a very good answer, and 
true In a general way, but It Is too sweeping. It 
takes In too much. Not everything ot a plant that 
Is under ground can he classed as roots, and, be¬ 
sides, some plants have roots that, do not enter the 
ground at all. A potato, for example, is not 
a root, though it grows under ground, nor 
Is a LUy bulb, and the bulb of the Tulip. 
A peanut, too, Is developed under ground, hut It is 
a fruit—a very dtff erent. thing from a root. At 
this stage of our progress, I shall not tell why 
these things are not roots, that will all be clear to 
you In due time. It. Is difficult to get a short defini¬ 
tion for the root, such as you could easily remem¬ 
ber and which would fit. the case exactly. 1 shall 
therefore only tell how tt may be known rrom tne 
stem. A stem 1 b characterized by bearing buds 
which develop Into leaves and branches, the root 
usually has no such buds. But the most distinc¬ 
tive difference lies in the mode of growth. The 
stem, when young, lengthens throughout every 
part; the root does not; it lengthens only by ad¬ 
ditions to the tip. 
The office of the root is twofold. It serves to 
hold the plant fast to the ground or other support, 
and It also absorbs nourishment for the sustenance 
of the plant, Just as animals and people must eat 
In order to live and grow. In figure 182, we see 
the ordinary form of the root of a young tree. The 
point indicated by the dotted line at o, Is called 
the crown, it Is the point of division between the 
root and stem, and Is usually at the surlace ot the 
earth. The smaller roots at 
* t> b, are called rootlets, and 
the very small ones at c c, 
r are called fibers. This Is 
the most usual form Of 
the root, hut there are 
many modifications, and 
In order to understand 
these more readily they 
have been classed to¬ 
gether in groups, like 
everything else In science, 
and each group received a 
name whereby It may 
be known, 
FIG. 164. 
they cannot, be seen by the naked eye, but under 
a microscope they become quite apparent. They 
are packed closely together side by side, forming a 
structure, not unlike a honey-comb. If you can 
Imagine a number of little pill boxes, all having 
the Uds on, being piled up side by side, and one on 
top of another, In some regular order, then you 
can get an Idea of how these little cells are united 
together to form the fabric, or tissue, of which 
There Is yet much to say about the roots, but we 
will save the rest for another Issue. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS 
Dear Uncle Mark Having seen my other 
letter In print I will write again. I told you when 
we Joined your Horticultural Club that our plot 
was fenced with Currant bushes, I want a little 
Instruction about pruning these bushes; will you 
please tell me whether it is the old wood or the 
young shoots that should be taken out? Father 
received his package of seeds all safe, and he 
wishes me to thank you for them. Mother has 
savd the Bebb’s Aqullegla, Iris and Hybrid Pent- 
stemons. Dear Uncle Mark, my patience is almost 
exhausted waiting lor the grape seeds to come up. 
They have been sowed nearly three months, but 
have not showed their heads out of the earth yet. 
I love gardening, and rejoice that It Is nearly time 
to sow my seeds. There has been scarcely any 
Bnow here this winter. I am afraid my letter Is 
getting too long. I remain your ever loving niece, 
Bruce Co., Ont. Amanda M. Buhnham. 
[Since you want your Currants to form a kind 
of hedge about your garden, all the pruning that 
will be necessary la to take out the old dead wood, 
and to trim the strongest ot the young shoots so 
that the hedge will make an even and moderately 
close growth. I am sorry that the grape seeds 
are trying your patience so hard; but you must 
not give up. Remember, that I said at the time 
they were sent, that It might take throe months 
or more before they would grow. I have received 
reports from many of the members telling how 
finely theirs are growing. The Beeds were all of 
the same lot.—U. M.] 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED, 
Pkoceedings of the Davenport Academy of 
Natural Sciences, Vol. II, Part II. July, 1877 
-Dee., 1878. J. Duncan Putnam, Correspond¬ 
ing Sec., Davenport, la. 
F. R. Pierson, Tarrytowu, New York. Il¬ 
lustrated catalogue of seeds, plants, fruits, 
trees, for the greenhouse, garden and farm. 
This will be sent free to all applicants. It is a 
sort of resume of what farmers and gardeners 
most need at this season, including many 
novelties of tested merits. 
plants consist. All growth is simply a multiplica¬ 
tion of celts, and to whatever portion of the plant 
these cell8 are added there It will increase In size, 
that Is, It growB. Thus when the tree grows In thick¬ 
ness there is a formation of cells under the bark; 
when the young shoot grows in length there la a 
formation of cells In the young and tender part, of 
It. So, also with the root, when It grows In length 
and thickness It is because there Is a formation of 
Different 
/'' botanists class the roots 
fiq. 183. somewhat differently in 
some respects, but we will here notice only the 
simplest and most common forms. 
According to their mode of growth they may be 
put under two principal divisions, which for ease 
of understanding we will call, 1st, those that lorm 
a tap-root , and, 3d, those that have no tap-root. 
The tap-root Is very marked in the figure above. 
It Is the thick root proceeding from the crown and 
growing straight downward, and from the sides of 
which smaller roots, or branches are sent out. A 
large number of the aUsolyle&onous plants, (what 
Is the meaning of that word V) have this kind 
of root In more or less marked degree. The maple, 
beet, carrot, turnip are good examples. The inono- 
cotyledonmis plants, on the other hand, do not, 
as a general thing, have a tap-root. Indian corn 
and all other grasses, the Lilies, etc., are exam¬ 
ples of this. 
Again, roots are classified according to their 
shape. Thus the root seen In figure 184 Is spindle- 
shaped or foatfernn ; the root In figure 183 is 
turnip-shaped or napi/onn, while the .Dahlia root 
shown In figure iSft Is said 
tob e fasciculate, because it 
grows In a cluster. Some y 
peculiar forms, like those 
In figure iso are some- 
times met with; a, is the 
root of a Pelargonium with 
the fibers enlarged at regu- 
lar Intervals, a style that 
Is called necklace-llke, or 
montliform. At b, Is fig- 
ured a root ol a Splrma with 1 
enlargements at the ends of 
the fibers; this form Is fig. 183, 
called nodulous. It Is convenient to remember 
these last names, and when you get so far that 
you can analyze plants It Is necessary that you 
should know them, but In the case of very young 
botanists 1 shall, at the present stage, not Insist 
upon their being remembered. Vou have noticed 
In nature that some roots are greatly thickened 
and fleshy, while others are merely fine threads. 
These fleshy roots characterize more particularly 
biennial plants, or plants that live two years. 
This fleshy material consists principally of starch 
and is nourishment stored up for the future use 
of the plant. In many Instances such roots have 
an agreeable taste and are very wholesome; they 
are then used as food. Radishes, beets, turnips, 
carrots, parsnips, etc., are all familiar examples. 
But we will now pass on to a highly interesting 
part of our subject, that of how roots grow 
Report of the Second Annual Fat Stock 
Show held by the Illinois State Board of Agri¬ 
culture in the Exposition Building, Chicago, 
Nov. 10-15, '79; also premium list of the third 
fat stock show to be held under the same au¬ 
spices and in the same place Nov. 15-20, '80 
8. D. Fisher, 8ec., Springfield, Ill. 
Seed-Timeani> Harvest —Auew illustrated 
quarterly magazine devoted to the improvement 
of our American gardens, edited and published 
by our occasional contributor, Isaac F. Tilling- 
liast, La Plume, Lackawana Co , Pa. No. 2 of 
this useful pamphlet is before us ; it contains 
some 24 pages, with descriptions and illustra¬ 
tions of some ilowerB and vegetables and a 
price list of seeds. Wo think this enterprise 
will prove a success, chiefly because of the 
good judgment the publisher possesses, which, 
among other ways, is manifested by the very 
favorable opinion he expresses of the Rural 
New-Yorker. _ 
The Secretary of the Missouri State Horti¬ 
cultural Society bus sent us a circular to the 
effect that a convention will be held lu St. 
Louis, Mo., on the Slh of next September for 
the purpose of effecting an organization to be 
called the Mississippi Valley Horticultu¬ 
ral Society, the particular place and pro¬ 
gramme of meeting to be hereafter published. 
To this convention all persons Interested in 
the horticultural growth of the couutiy are 
invited, without regard to locality. An exten¬ 
sive horticultural exhibtlou will also be held 
at the Merchants' Exchange, St. LouiB, Mo., 
on September, 7th. 8th and 9th, for which pre¬ 
miums to the amount of $2,500 are guaranteed. 
The convention is called by the Presidents and 
Secretaries of most of the State Horticultural 
Societies of the Western States. 
A list of premimms, too long for publication, 
is added. The highest premium, $200, is 
offered for the best collection of horticultural 
products by any State Horticultural Society. 
Liberal premiums arc offered for collections of 
apples, pears, peaches, grapes, plants and 
IlowerB, and other garden products. 
Information, premium lists and circulars 
may ho had by addressing the Secretary, S. M. 
Tracy, at 000 Olive St., St. Louis, Mo. 
Dear Uncle and Cousins I have long been 
thinking or •writing to the dear old Rural, and 
to-night I havea rew spare moments which I shall 
Improve by writing. I have seen from the letters 
that most or the cousins are members of the Hor¬ 
ticultural Club, and T hope that you wUI put my 
name on the list. I received the seeds from the 
free seed distribution, about a mouth ago; and 
planted them In a box, 1 don’t know whether It 
was the proper way to plant them or not, but I 
hope it la. lama great admirer ot flowers, but 
don’t have very good luck with them. Last year 
the chickens destroyed them for me, but 1 don't 
think they will this summer. I wish the cousins 
would write oftener, especially those who write 
the best letters. Please tell me it I did wrong by 
planting those seeds In a box. Ever a true Rural 
Cousin. Zerkfra. 
Fayette, N. Y. 
[There was nothing wrong In planting the seeds 
in a box; but if you leave them to the care of 
“ good luck" for the future, you may have reason 
to bemoan a failure In their cultivation.—U. M ] 
new cells which are added to its tissue. Figure 1ST 
represents the tip of a root of a young maple much 
magnified. The little hairs you see are called 
root-hairs, and the little meshes are the cell*. 
Both the root-hairs and the cells are also seen In 
figure 189 which is a much more highly magnified 
portion of the root. I said above that roots did 
not lengthen throughout the whole body, but 
grew only at the tips, a characteristic which dls- 
Deak Uncle Mark:—1 have lor a long time 
thought I would like to Join your Horticultural 
Club; will you please accept me as a member v I 
have not seen many letters from Wls. Will some 
of the cousins tell me a pretty way to make a 
stone heap ? Do flowers do as well on them as In 
low beds? I wish “Will O’The Wisp" would 
scud some of those pretty shells up to us poor 
mortals who never saw the ocean. I went “ May 
flowering" yesterday and found a lovely bouquet 
ol sweet flowers. Fannie L. Atwood. 
Sheboygan Co.. Wls. 
A good Rural friend from the Far West 
writes us as follows : “ nope your new loca¬ 
tion will prove to be a pleasant one. You are 
near the City Hall, Post Office and Park, and 
up to your eyes in the Newspaper Kingdom. 
Park Row is a Bort of type-ical paradise; a 
leaden heaven with devils (var. printers) to 
FIG. 187. 
tlngulshed them from the stems. The root, how¬ 
ever, does not grow at the very end, but the new 
formation of cells takes place a little distance 
from the end as at a, (fig. 187) while b is a cluster 
