The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-12

Enormous Quantities Of Water Pumped Up
From the Soil by the Roots.


Enormous (luantities Of water Pumped Up
From the Soil by the Roots.
Haberlands has calculated that an acre cf
rye, during its growth and development.
absorbs 3sh tons Of water per acre; oats IT,
quirc $40 tons and wheat ds0.
The water, sucked or pumped up by the
roots from the soil, traverses the Tissues OF
the plant. depositing nutriment therein and
finally IL evaporated by the leaves. This
process Is called Transportation. As the soil
fcynishes the supply Of water, that supply,
In ordertffat the plant can develop itself
normally, ought to equal at least the vol
nme of water given Off by the leaves
Should this equilibrium be broken. the
leaves droop. become dried and fall. Not
only does the plant languish during an in
sufficient supply OF water. but the energy
Of its green matter cells decreases. The
assimilation of carbon ceases, and the
growth Of the plant is stopped. 1t Is the
same in rearing stock. II badly fed the
animal will he stunted.
The Transportation of the plant is 10 times
greater in presence of full light than in OBJ
scurity. and during dali, cloudy weather
the Transportation is one-half less than un-
der the direct action Of the solar rays.
when rain is absent aud the sky clear and
tho sunlight continuous. The only re-
sources the plant has, In the absence OK an
artificial supply Of water by irrigation, Is
to send its roots tapering deep into the soil.
Professor Deherain has traced the root
let's of wheat TO depth OF 80 inches in the
soil. NsN
The botanist Wolkens corroborates these
views still more forcibly In the course OF
his voyage in Egypt and Arabia One of
the salient characteristics OF the roots OF
plants In the desert is the enormous length
of their roots. Plants whose height above
the surface of the soil never exceed the
length Of hand have the root at the neck
as thick as the thumb, tapering TO the vol
ume of the little finger at the depth OF Z
yards. Ii is to their vast descending root
lets that the plants Of the desert owe their
existence and ere able to fight the burning
heat, which would cause branch OF the
same plant, il detached, to fade in the
course of five minutes.
Irrigation then furnishes to plants their
requisite humidity, and thus insures regu-
lar and increased development In the
south Of France and in the north OF Italy
the judicious and abundant supply OF water
to herbage lands insures considerable but
not extraordinary yields Thus in the De-
partment OF Vaucluse six tons of hay per
acre are scared, which at 100 francs per
ton means q money receipt OF COO francs.
In the same region five TO six cuttings OF
lucern are obtained, representing total
of eight tons.
In parts Of Provence the land irrigated
possesses value five times superior to that
which is unwatered.
Parallel results exist in Lombardy. In
the little village of Orange, in the south OF
France, the local stream is utilized by -four
and other mills during the week days. On
Sunday the water irrigates $50 acres. Were
It allowed to flow every day over arid soils
that need to slake their thirst, 4,5OO acres
in all could thus yield more enormous re
suits in year than the mean annual rev.
enuc of the mills, which is only 10000
francs. Paris Cor. Our Grange Homes.