‘116. |. ELEMENTARY BOTANY 
Experiment II. 
Take a thistle funnel and tie tightly over the 
end of it a piece of pig’s bladder, and partly 
Fic. 137.—THISTLE FuN- 
NEL WITH BLADDER. 

fill with sugar solution. Immerse 
the end covered with the bladder in 
water. 
Result. § The level of the water 
in the funnel gradually rises. 
Conclusion. The sugar solution in 
the funnel attracts the water from 
without through the bladder. 
This experiment illustrates the way 
in which water passes through the 
cell-walls of the plant. The acid cell- 
sap in the cell of the root-hair may be 
compared with the contents of the 
funnel, the sugar solution; the cell- 
wall with the bladder; the water in 
the soil with the water outside the 
funnel. The water is absorbed from 
the soil by the cells of the root-hair, 
and is handed on in the same way to the branches of the 
-yoot, and thence to the main root. (See Fig. 13.) 
The next two experiments illustrate the passage of water 
from the roots to the leaves. 
Take a flowering shoot of Narcissus, and im- 
Experiment A. 
merse the cut end for some time in water 
eoloured with red ink. 
The veins on the petals and leaves become red, 
Result. 
and cutting the stem across it will be seen that 
the threads of the stem are also coloured. 
Conclusion. 
The water has passed up through certain 
threads or strands, which form the woody: tissue 
of the plant, to the petals and leaves. 
Take a Laurel shoot and cut off the outer 
Experiment B. 
” tissue until the wood is exposed; immerse the 
cut end of the shoot in a vessel of red ink, 
