Southern Cultivator and Farming Volume 28 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1870 Excerpt: ... were from 10 to 18 inches high. We found on the edge of the wash, roots from 1 to 0 inches below the surface of the ridge--the principle portion of them between 3 and 5 inches down. The large roots were much ramified, and the ground presented a delicate tracery, resembling that of sea-weed, or of many stemmed plants in an herbarium. The ramifications seemed to be More Numerous At A Distance From The Stalk than near it. Some of the surface roots seemed to have been dry and inoperative. Description Of One Long Root.--From a stalk 15 inches high, we followed a root just 1-16 of an inch in diameter--quite thickly set with small roots, and these in their turn with some smaller and also with hair roots--and found the number of subordinate roots greater at 2 or 8 feet from the stalk than nearer. It broke at 45 inches--the ground being hard, and we found its diameter greater there than at 2 feet from the stalk. Its entire length was probably between 4 and 5 feet. I found roots 2 or 3 feet long only l-60th of an inch, or even leas, in diameter. I were overl-lOOth of an inch in diameter. Many of the size of medium spool thread. Number Of Roots To The Stalk.--This wTas, of course, quite variable, but the number of long roots was not usually large--say 6 to 10 in number; medium length 4 or 5; shorter roots 6 to 10. Location Of Roots.--Some were found quite near the surface, but by far the thickest matting was from 3 to 5 inches below. Some ran downward considerably, but most of them were not far from parallel to the surface of the bed--inclining downward slowly. As to the distance from the stalks, there were probably more roots Near The Middles than Near The Stalks.--For this there were three reasons: 1st The stalks being crowded in the row, threw out their roots tow...