, 1875-08-04
Tho Length Of lkonts, anil Some
Facts Connected With
Them.
Harnessing Il Squash for speculation---
Sentimental soientists-..The Hay
Crop East and West:
It's Value.
Tic Colorado Beetle Enst--1fow to Ex-
terminate 1t...ls It blessing
In Disgniscf
Tho eoason and tho 0rops-soil Currents
ys, Air and Water Currents.

rrtrarrh hr The Chien1a Tribune.
THE LESHrH nr noo1s.
Ono OF tho ipoat interesting studies to tho
student in Agriculture, anu MI csrociay-im-
pnrtart ono to tho practical farmer, is tho roots
Of plants, their growth, An1 their various func-
t!uns In connection With tho growth Of plants.
Il IL subject nhout which, until comparatively
late period. but lltlo was understood, and OF
which ovon now hut litslo is truly known. The
length tn which roota ozte,d, aud why, ia QUO Of
| thuso sntccta tho ordinary farm,r cnros bnt
tit:le ahout and yot it Is subject Of paramount
Importance, and ono that might to DO especially
| STUDIED by every farmer WHO a1Eccts to loap
paco with tho ti,nos in the cultivation of crops.
Tho oote s1o tho mouths Of Tho plant ami thsy
n,nAt extend 10 where they find proper food for
| tho pinns.
| rrof. :W. ]. Heal. Professor Of Botany and
| horticulture nj tho Michigan Agricultural Col
lego. a"nla liz son,a iaes relating to the lc1,Hth
OF ROOTS In light, roor aoil. ho found tho
rooss Of Jnne. grass feot below tho surface
roots Of a wleat-plant, I to faot Tho roots OF
| 2-yeAr-o!d pcach-troe were found 7feat Inches
long.
| Mr. Fcl1or. ono Of tho college,
graduates, fonud tina roots Of tho famous
buftnto. grees -tleacribcd in tho reports Of tho
Department of Agriculture ut Washington as
| short OF superficial. Ncar where we'll was bo-
Ing dn8, ho traced tic roots down foot.
Prof. Dcal very truly snys that roots do not
"Hcarch" fur food. ia vegetable psychologists
now understand it. Many Of tho smaller ronts
OF trees dfo every nutuinn when the lcnvos die.
| and others grow In spring. llo instances the
fnct OF q rustic basket. without bottom, filled
| with rich soil. On removing the basket aud
earth, which had been thrro several years, cher
| ry-roots were fonud in largo nnmberB tn th6
| rich soil. lloosB In auch soil mill grow mp Just
| az well MS down.
s'r. Thomas J. Burril, Professor Of Dotaay
nnI Horticulture at tho Illinois 1udust:ih uni-
ycss;ty, clouo student aud enthusiastic nvosti-
gator, i,s All address bcforo tho Patrons Of HuH-
banlry, at Frceport. ILL.,, u May last, g'ses tho
following testimony in relation to tho length Of
routs. OF wl4oat and ryo ale sayA:
! Tho wl1ca. sown April i, 1aij, and examined
| May il, 1Asa, forty days after sowing, Tia depth
r,ched ia inito surprising, setng II tncLoe, far b.
low ts plowtd soil As the seeA must hasc be"n some
ahiy half inch. lsoa.nlstI wilt be Interested In
observing that tho rat root fru to snet raltc1e Ii
ths only growing directly dnwnwarh II ia as tra
taroot That Of thu hickory tree. Tlo other roots
start from the stem, M. tile setl. ~
lsys aas fown last antu nh and c1sminotl the same
dry the wheut. Tho sieric*t root s,and was W
teet. ~ Inches from the sarfa. th'e-fanrsh of
III whao mass Of roots wa eein'.ted 70 rs.rha
haa tseu grown uEou .Le ground tTo years 'etsrs:
n sfo s sseye :phs s
buck th!s.aisc marks ndieatcl tho former lrrseneo
@ re III o!a sns .oS sns s1n rSos 1"
foiind encasel by thu renaitls Of III old root having
through T. lhs ua ~. was i"x ana si, T.,
thu suEl. Tl~ blnck znil was 2l inches drop; tho s
ho!l VIA st!sf yellow clay.
In another connection, no notices tho roots Of
q Lonsbardy poplar In hts garden. tho roots OF
which extended II feet. and ctos casa whore
| to-drafn in Nav l1ntnphIFo waH ubasrnctcd by
tho roots Of an elm 450 feet awaY. Prof Stock
bridge, Of tho Massachusetts Agricultural Col:
lego, washed out ciorer root ono yoar old, 8
feet doep. Mr.. Dl1on, OF EnBtnnd, dug parB-
min 10 fcct illches and broke II oil At that
depth. Laeorne has boon known TO roach in
England 90 feot 10 depth. British officer in
ln1ia reports having aoon tEoo-root followed
G3 foet dcap without coming to an ond lsoots
also spread horizontally over oIually surprising
areas. At Aml1osst, Mass, III olin sent its roots
Is feet from tho trunk.
suUAsu IN HARNESS.
! In tho case Of tha slunAh Which President
Clark. of tho Massachusetts Agricultural Col
, tege, caused to be harpeHAcd and boar pack
menced By lifting Gu pounds on Aug. 81. mud
endod-- by supper ting weight ou Oct. 81 Of
500o pounds and for ten anys thcreafter. On
Oct. 24,t lifted 4,12o pounds. 4 aIr. D. L.
III days and nlEts, making hourly obRervatious
Prof. II. W. Parker WAS moved 10 write pocm
shout it; and Prof. ]. II. Hooley declurcd that
, he positively stood In awe OF it.
After all This trouble aud toll watchlug and
waiting. e1ponso and energy spout, what did y
all amount 10, either iu acGnttFc or practical
| sanse 2 10 much, and no u.ors, thon TO know
!. how tar !ioa will jump, or how blg = boy au
ordinary, Dowu-East anapplug-turtlo will sup
n | port a,ld wa1k away with. ~.
! Ouu thing in connection with this squash Is OF
value ~ no Ing the surprising Oxtclls!on Ut tic
rnotn. Like 6omo human B1uashoB, it was III
! t.sk7 all 17I l.nf
j a*.I servants to attend it. tito see.ls "xete
| plantoa Oh tue lat Ut July in ono Of tll0 propa-
! eating pits Of tho Durloe Plant lfuuse, whore
, tho tenlporature and moisture could bo easily
controlled, 4 rioA bel OF compost from spent
hot-bDa waa prepared. which naa foot vide. 81
feot long, and about 6 iuolles tn depth. Here,
Under thu fostering care OF Prof. Aayoasd, the
seeds gertnnateh. tho vino grew vigorously, and
the BquABl, lifted III must BatiHfGctory tnanncr.
1t III we'll known to o'efy gardener that Oil
vintersquaal,os will. under favorable circusn
STANCES, produce roots ut every uods, or joint
: President Clark statnB that ono Of those noda
| long and TO lavo 4eO brancleH, Averaging, Will
their btanchlats. lenGth OF 30 inches. making
tolhl uf more than !, 200 feot. Az there we're II
modal ro0ta there must hays boen moro than Il
| certainly moro than 10, 100 feet. aud Of thest
Nt,tku feet mllat have boon produced 1t tho Eata
OF l,u0o fest OF moro per day.
THE uAY-cnOP.
t The dry weather during the carly part OF tht
I aeaaon gave good grounds to fear that tho hay
rrnp Ut tho Weat would 10 unusually light and
: taken III connection with the fact that tho las
u year i crop would DO entiroly exhausted by th'
time Of harvest, weli-RIounded fears xors ausor
. tanned That thoto might be hay.famtne tu th
;. West. The gravity Of thla will DO apprcciat
cd when It IL Remembered thst tho hAy
crop of the North is worth more thh,
u auy other ono crop produced. Timely shower
I ltAve, however, brought this important Atai,l
!. out all right, although Hl.owery wosshar All
s.orlas haYe Injured It NO That the quality, ~
y whole, will not be nearly au ayerAgo.
i Last year, Ns~ York stats had N extremely
helyy growth OF hay-shis year 1t will b
: light +; aud III some portions OF the New E,l
d gland BtGtos, thu lusasa On hay will b
Il aoyu1o indeed. Tho Hartford Times estimate
d the crop iu Connecticut at only two-third
II IN average. A. tuta IL the mort Important CT OPP
o that hat0, tbs loss will 10 seEiouH QUO. til
= yatus Ut all nye1sge CROP ls sl9 u000 to Hl6.
II 9iu,Uoo. This will lnyulve losn Of from ~ 600
~ 000 TO f5.NKl, 400 in that Htaso aiope.
Ct In the South, hay has been injured severely
r out, 10 the south, hny IL net mich raised, = nu