40 NEW ZEALAND NATURE-STUDY BOOK 
through which these are conveyed lie in the woody 
part of the stem. 
Fig. 34.—Twig from which 
ring of bark has been 
removed. 
In the leaves we have learnt that 
the food obtained from the ground 
and that derived from the air are 
manufactured into various organic 
compounds, one of which is starch. 
The food made in the leaves passes 
down the stem, and. is either used 
up in nourishing the growing parts 
or is stored away for future use. 
Take a leafy branch and peel the 
bark completely off the lower por- 
tion for a couple of inches from 
the end. The soft tissues lying 
between the bark and the wood 
must also be removed. Place the 
twig in water so as to immerse it 
for a few inches above the ringed part. After a time the 
twig will begin to send out rootlets above the cut. If 
any appear on the ringed part they will be small and few 
in number. 
Place a similar twig in water in 
the same way without removing 
any of the bark, and notice that the 
roots are produced at the end. 
From these experiments we learn 
that the food from the leaves finds 
its way through the soft tissue 
between the bark and the wood 
known as the bast. 
How Starch is conveyed 
through the Plant. The ma- 
terials which are drained off from 
the leaves must be in solution. 
Fig. 35.—T wig immersed 
without removing any of 
the bark. 
