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, or other seeds, on dark
cloth, placed in plates and kept moist. Notice the fuzz or mass of
root hairs near the ends of the tender roots of the seedlings (Fig.
13). Plant similar seed in sand or soil, and when they have started
to grow pull them up and notice how difficult it is to remove all of
the sand or dirt from the roots. This is because the delicate root
hairs cling so closely to the soil grains. The root hairs are
absorbing moisture laden with plant food from the surface of the soil
particles. The root hairs are found only near the root tips. As the
root grows older, its surface becomes tougher and harder, and the
hairs die, while new ones appear on the new growth just back of the
root tips, which are constantly reaching out after moisture and food.
The moisture gets into the root hairs by a process called osmose. The
following interesting experiment will give you an idea of this process