MOR os 219 
Root WASHINGS. 
We found time to do little of the interesting and important work 
of washing out roots, but we note what we have done. 
A plant of Triomphe de Gand strawberry, the roots of which we 
washed out August 13, had roots extending nearly vertically downwards, 
to the depth of twenty- -two inches. ‘The horizontal roots were few 
-and short, the longest being traceable but six inches. The greater 
part of the roots extended nearly perpendicularly downwards, and 
‘nearly all of the fibrous roots were found directly beneath the plant. 
The new roots appeared growing out about an inch above the old 
ones. ‘I'he longest of these had attained at this time a length of six 
‘inches. They were white, and were tipped at their extremities with a 
thickened point, in which respect they resembled the underground 
stems of the potato. 
It would seem from these observations that as the roots cover an 
area scarcely larger than the leaves, there is little danger of injuring 
the roots of strawberry plants by cultivation between the rows, even 
_ if the’soil is disturbed to a considerable depth. 
The fact that the new roots grow out above the old ones each year 
explains why strawberry plants appear to lift themselves upward as 
they become old, and suggests the importance of drawing earth toward 
the plants in hoeing them after the bearing season. 
The roots of the tomato plant, are, in their manner of growth, opposite 
to those of the strawberry plant. In a plant examined August 13, the 
greater part of the roots appeared to extend horizontally, and were 
about eight inehes below the surface. We traced the horizontal roots 
a distance of twenty-four inches on one side of the plant, and thirty 
inches ow the other. From this it appears that the plant drew its_ 
nourishment from a circle about four and a half feet in diameter, or 
from an area of about sixteen square feet. A single root was traced 
downward to the depth of two and a half feet. The tap-root was 
clothed with a multitude of fibrous roots to the depth of eight inches, 
where it separated into many branches. 
The cauliflower is a deep-rooting plant, as appears from our obser- 
vations made on the same day. Roots were traced downward to the 
depth of three feet, and many roots reached a depth of two and a half 
feet. The roots also extend horizontally about two and a half feet. 
It thus appears that the cauliflower draws its sustenance from a greater 
area and depth than the tomato plant. The fibrous roots, however, 
are less numerous in the upper layers of the soil. 
INSECTICIDES. 
We have prosecuted our experiments with insecticides with; consid- 
erable vigor, and while we feel that we have made some progress, we 
are very strongly impressed with the difficulties of the case. Most in- © 
sects fall an easy prey where Paris green can be safely used and can 
be so applied that the enemy will devour it. But there are cases, 
as with the cabbage caterpillar, where it is dangerous to use a deadly 
poison ; and others, as with the grubs that infest the stems of squash 
and cucumber vines, where it is extremely difficult to apply any pois- 
onous substance so that any portion of it will be devoured by the 
insect. Here difficulties arise at once, ~ 
