The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-02-20
THE THIRST OF PLANTS.
Enormous on1ntities of water Pumped Up
From. the soil by the Roots.

Enormous OuXntities of water Pumped Up
IRON, She soil by the Roots.
llaberlandt has calculated that an mere Of
rye, during it, growth and development,
absurb- 3i tons Of water per acre; oats re-
quire $40 tons and wheat $50.
The water, sucked or pumped up by the
roots from the soil, truverses the tissues Of
the plant, depositiug nutriment therein and
finally il cyaplrated by the leaves This
process j. called Transportation. As the soil
furnishes the supply Of water that supply,
In order that the plant can develop itself
normally, ought 20 equal at least the vol
ume of water given of by the leaves.
should this equilibrium be broken, the
leaves droop, become dried and fall Not
only does the plant langlish during an in
sufficient supply OF water but the energy
OF It's green matter cells decreases. The
assimilation Of carbon ceases, and the
growth Of the plant is stopped 1t is the
same in rearing stock. If badly fed the
animal will he stunted
The Transportation Of the plant is 10 times
greater in presence Of full light thanin OBJ
security, and during dull, cloudy weather
Tie Transportation Is one half less than un-
der the direct action of the solar rays
Judge, then, of the suffering of vegetation
when rain is absent aud the sky clear and
the sunlight continuous. The only re-
sources the plant has, in the absence Of an
artificial supply of water by irrigation, is
to send its roots tapering deep into the soil.
Professor Deheran has traced the root
let's of wheat to n depth of 50 inches in the
soil.
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 IA 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 9
yards. II is to their vast descending root
lets that the plants of the desert owe their
existence and are able to fight the burning
heat, which would cause branch of the
same plant, if 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 heritage lands insures considerable but
not extraordinary yields Thus in the De
partment of Naucluse six tons Of hay per
acre are secured, which at 100 francs per
ton means money receipt Of 600 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 n 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 flour
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, 1900 acres
in all could thus yield more enormous re-
suits in year than the mean annual rev.
enue of the mills, which is only 10000
francs.-Paris Cor. Our Grange Homes.