New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 
91 
less than 45°, and its length varied in the different plants from seven 
to ten inches. It was in every case densely clothed with fibrous 
branches, some of which had already attained the length of eight or 
nine inches. On one root sixty of these branches were counted in the 
first inch below the kernel, and the number did not appear to decrease 
for a distance of eight inches. These branchlets averaged about three 
inches in length, from which it appears that the length of the fibrous 
roots, in a corn plant but eighteen days from planting, may easily 
aggregate more than 100 feet. 
The roots that started out at the first node of the stem were rather 
numerous, and a few of them had attained the length of eight inches.. 
These roots were, at this time, almost destitute of fibers, and probably 
did the plant little good. They grew nearly horizontal, and at no part 
of their length were more than three inches below the surface, while 
many were not deeper than two inches. 
The Effect of Early Cultivation Upon Corn Roots. 
The spade was inserted to the depth of three inches on four sides of 
several hills of corn, keeping about three inches from the stems, after 
which the earth was washed away from the roots , of one hill. It 
appeared that twelve roots had been severed, some of which were 
radicles. Had the spade been inserted to the depth of four inches, it 
would probably have severed as many more. 
The average corn cultivator, passing between rows of corn, the 
teeth reaching to the depth of three inches and within an equal 
distance of the plants, would probably not sever as many roots as did 
the spade in this trial, but it would necessarily displace, or at least 
disturb, all that lay within three inches of the surface. 
On June 6 the roots of two other hills of corn, one of which had 
been root-pruned a week previous, were washed out and examined. 
In the hill not root-pruned, the longer roots had attained a length 
of twelve to eighteen inches, and the longer nodal roots were becoming* 
clothed with fibers near the base. The radicle had increased in length 
about in proportion to the other roots, and its fibers had also grown 
much. 
An examination of one of the hills root-pruned a week previous 
brought out the following facts: 
1. Although considerable rain (.13 inch) had fallen during the week, 
the pruning had apparently proved a serious check to the root devel- 
opment. 
2. The root-pruning had stimulated the growth of fibers on the 
nodal roots. 
