these roots are very slender
and many very delicate. How did they manage to reach out into the soil
so far from the plant? Or where does the root grow in length? To
answer this question I will ask you to perform the following
experiment:

=Experiment.=--Place some kernels of corn or other large seeds on a
plate between the folds of a piece of wet cloth. Cover with a pane of
glass or another plate. Keep the cloth moist till the seeds sprout and
the young plants have roots two or three inches long. Now have at hand
a plate, two pieces of glass, 4 by 6 inches, a piece of white cloth
about 4 by 8 inches, a spool of dark thread, and two burnt matches, or
small slivers of wood. A shallow tin pan may be used in place of the
plate. Lay one pane of glass on the plate, letting one end rest in the
bottom of the plate and the other on the opposite edge of the plate.
At one end of the piece of cloth cut two slits on opposite sides about
an inch down from the end and reaching nearly to the middle. Wet the
cloth and spread it on the glass. Take one of the sprouted seeds, lay
it on the cloth, tie pieces of thread around the main root at
intervals of one-quarter inch from tip to seed. Tie carefully, so that
the root will not be injured. Place the second pane of glass over the
roots, letting the edge come just below the seed, slipping in the
slivers of wood to prevent the glass crushing the roots. Wrap the two
flaps of the cloth about the seed. Pour some water in the plate and
leave for development. (Fig. 12.) A day or two of waiting will show
conclusively that the lengthening takes place at the tip only, or just
back of the tip. Is this fact of any value to the farmer? Yes. The
soft tender root tips will force their way through a mellow soil with
greater ease and rapidity than through a hard soil, and the more rapid
the root growth the more rapid the development of the plant. This
teaches us again the lesson of deep, thorough breaking and pulverizing
of the soil before the crop is planted.

We have learned that the roots grow out into the soil in search of
moisture and food, which they absorb for the use of the plant. How
does the root take in moisture and food? Many people think that there
are little mouths at the tips of the roots, and that the food and
moisture are taken in through them. This is not so, for examination
with the most powerful microscopes fails to discover any such mouths.
Sprout seeds of radish, turnip or cabbage,