are
living, growing things, and certain requirements or conditions are
necessary for their growth and development; we cannot intelligently
prepare the soil for plant growth until we know something about the
work of plants and the conditions they need to do their work well.

For our first study of plants let us get together a number of farm and
garden plants. Say, we have a corn plant, cotton, beet, turnip,
carrot, onion, potato, grass, geranium, marigold, pigweed, thistle, or
other farm or garden plants. In each case get the entire plant, with
as much root as possible. Do these plants in any way resemble one
another? All are green, all have roots, all have stems and leaves,
some of them have flowers, fruit, and seeds, and the others in time
will produce them.

Why does the farmer raise these plants? For food for man and animals;
for clothing; for ornamental purposes; for pleasure, etc.

[Illustration: FIG. 1.--SPECIMEN PLANTS FOR STUDY.]

[Illustration: FIG. 2.
The first effort of a sprouting seed is to send a root down into the
soil.]

[Illustration: FIG. 3.
Germinating seeds produce roots before they send a shoot up into the
air.]

Which part of any or all of these farm plants is of greatest
importance to the plant itself?

I am sure that you will agree that the root is the part most important
to the plant itself, for if any part of a plant be separated from the
root, that part ceases growth and will soon die, unless it is able to
put out new roots. But the root from which the plant was cut will
generally send up new shoots, unless it has nearly completed its life
work. When a slip or cutting is placed in water or in moist sand it
makes a root before it continues much in growth. When a seed is
planted its first effort is to send a rootlet down into the soil.

Experiment to see if this is true by planting slips of willow, or
geranium, or by planting corn or beans in a glass tumbler of soil, or
in a box having a glass side, placing the seeds close to the glass;
then watch and see what the seed does. Figs. 2 and 3.

Which of the parts of the plant is of greatest importance to the
farmer or any plant grower, or to which part of a plant should the
plant grower give his best attention? You will probably mention
different parts of the different plants in answering this question.
For instance, some will say, "The seed is the most important part of
the wheat plant to the farmer, for that is what the wheat is grown