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VOL. LXIV INDIANAPOLIS, NOVEMBER 6, 1909. NO. 44 Root Systems of Field Crops. Editors Indiana Farmer: The root systems of our cultivated lilants bear a most important relation to the cultivation of the crops, the application of fertilizers, and the moisture content of the soil; and in order to understand fully the reasons for the different cultural practices it is really necessary to know to what extent and in what way the roots of the various crops develop. That the development of the root systems of our common cereal and forage crops is not so well understood as might be supposed is alemonstrated by the fact that samples of plants prepared with a view to show- the lateral as well as the downward extension of the entire root system in its natural position always arouse great interest in observers of all classes, and even cause surprise to persons who have spent their whole lives upon the farm, and in many cases growing these very crops year after year. Such samples, prepared by various experiment -dations, have in every instance proved to be most instructive object lessons. Corn Root System. At the Wisconsin Station samples of ■ rn taken 42 days after planting, when the tops were about 18 inches high, showed that the roots of two hills met ind passed each other in the center of rows 3 y_. feet apart, and had penetrated the soil to a depth of about 18 inches. At the time of the last cultivation, when the corn was nearly three feet high, the roots were found to oc- i upy the entire soil down to a depth of ■ibout two feet, a third sample taken when the eorn was coming into full tassel showed that the roots had fully oc- i upied the upper three feet of soil in the entire field. At maturity the roots extended fully four feet into the soil iind the upper laterals were within four inches of the top of the ground. Experiments made at the various stations indicate that, by cultivating deeply, the large lateral roots of corn lying at a depth of four inches midway '•'tween the rows are likely to be oroken. It is believed that, as roots of listed corn He deeper, corn planted l>y this method may be cultivated close to the hill and three to four inches deep at the last cultivation without injury to the roots, while in level-planted corn, the roots rising nearly to the mirface several inches from the hill are destroyed by close cultivation. Deep cultivation for the purpose of forming a thick soil mulch is considered necessary, however, for the last cultivation of corn in hot and dry climates. Roots of Small Grains. Wheat roots examined 110 days after sowing the seed at the North Dakota Station were found to extend directly downward, sending out numerous small feeders which practically occupied the soil to a depth of four feet. Later experiments with durum and bread wheat showed roots to a depth of more than four leet, and again showed that the system of rooting is vertical instead of 'ateral, as in corn. The root sys tem of oats was found to be similar to that of wheat, but the roots were longer and more numerous and extended fully as deep into the ground. A "ample of winter rye taken July 7 showed that the roots had reached a depth of only three feet, and that their development was smaller than in other samples of cereals generally. Root Systems of Grasses. The North Dakota Station also examined the roots of one and two year old plants of Bromus inermis and found of potatoes at the North Dakota Station showed that the main portion of the root growth of this plant is shallow. Forty-three days after planting the principal part of the root development was found to lie within eight inches of the surface of the ground. A WELL KEPT DE KALB COUNTY ROAD. and generally reach deeper into the soil than the cultivated crops. G. E. M. The grass and weeds are kept down by use of the mower. that at one year old the roots had attained a depth of over four feet and formed a good sod, while the roots of the two-year-old grass had reached a depth of at least 5 y_, feet. The Kansas Station also found that the largest growth of fibrous roots in the surface soil was made by the perennial grasses as compared with cereal and other crops, and that certain species also extended their roots deeper into the soil than any other class of crops, except perennial leguminous plants. Legumes. The Kansas Station found that alfalfa was the deepest rooted plant under observation. The plant developed only a small growth of fibrous roots near the surface, the principal root development being deeper in the soil. Cowpeas and soy beans appeared to be light-rooting crops. At the North Dakota Station the roots of red clover during two years of development grew down over four feet and quite fully occupied the upper three feet of soil. Crimson clover roots in a single season attained a depth of three feet by August 22. Potatoes. Samples of an early and later variety The lateral roots had extended from hill to hill and interlaced. Some of the principal lateral roots were found to be only 2 % inches from the surface at six inches from the hill. This root development indicates the necessity of shallow cultivation of the crop, and this was confirmed in experiments with deep and shallow cultivation, the results showing a decided advantage for the shallow cultivation of potatoes un- hilled. It was also shown that late potatoes root more freely and more deeply than early ones, and as a result will not stand as close planting as early vareities. When the hills are about three feet apart each way the soil is very fully occupied by the roots to a depth of three feet. This study of the roots of plants gives a clearer idea of the proper method of preparing and cultivating the soil for the different field crops. In general, root systems of crops like corn, potatoes, beets beans, etc., reach from row to row and near the surface and hence should be given shallow cultivation, tho beets may be cultivated deeper than the other crops mentioned. The roots of cereals, grasses, clovers and alfalfa grow more directly downward Playgrounds for Country Children. Editors Indiana Farmer: That country children should have as good, (that is as useful) an education as those in town, goes without saying. But is it wise to push the mental powers at the expense of the physical? For the body it is that supplies the force that the brain needs. An observant experience of a good many years shows how many young people who have done extra well at their school and college examinations, seem to have used up their energy before the actual life- work has begun. They droop, and the promise of their early years is never fulfilled. It was doubtless this kind of observation that started Professor Myron Scudder of New Jersey, on his search after some corrective influence. He finds this in muscular exercise. But muscular exercise without the spirit of enthusiastic play, and the good-natured rivalry of the game, would not result in much. This concerted play is largely found in connection with our colleges. I remember how in England no boy was allowed to miss the ball games without a doctor's certificate. In those days football was mild and harmless, and very different from the fashion of it now. I recal lthe remark of a thinking young man to me. "Football as it used to be is the greatest quietus that an overwrought brain can have. Every muscle of your body is alert, giving tho tired brain a chance to gather fresh strength from its rest, for its next effort." But the country children,—their brains have surely no complaints to make. There's a true old couplet: "All work and no play, Makes Jack a dull boy." (In earlier England, the word play was su pronounced, that it was a passable rhyme to boy.) The children on th>' farm, expected to help with endless little chores, grow dull from the very monotony of the thing. In conse quence of the constant mechanical round their mental capacity needs awakening and sharpening up. And this, invigorating play with their lei. low accomplishes. Just one set of muscles are called into use by farm chores, while the others lie dormant. This is seen when farming boys enter athletic lists with city boys, they are not up to the usual standard and summarily fail. But Professor Scudder has been the means of bringing about a new state of things in many of the Eastern and Middle States. At the conferences, young teachers were enthused in the play-project for their scholars. Teachers and children together succeeded in enticing the parents away frohi the old ruts. School directors became interested, while the well-to-do friends are helping with the extra eash required. Professor Scudder expects great things from the country playgrounds. That it will raise the physical and moral standard of the country youth; that it will enkindle an increased love of home-life, and decrease the emigration to the towns, where the young man from the farm meets often his down- fa'l- L.ouisa A'hmuty Nash. Nashville. Oregon.
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1909, v. 64, no. 44 (Nov. 6) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA6444 |
Date of Original | 1909 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-04-07 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | VOL. LXIV INDIANAPOLIS, NOVEMBER 6, 1909. NO. 44 Root Systems of Field Crops. Editors Indiana Farmer: The root systems of our cultivated lilants bear a most important relation to the cultivation of the crops, the application of fertilizers, and the moisture content of the soil; and in order to understand fully the reasons for the different cultural practices it is really necessary to know to what extent and in what way the roots of the various crops develop. That the development of the root systems of our common cereal and forage crops is not so well understood as might be supposed is alemonstrated by the fact that samples of plants prepared with a view to show- the lateral as well as the downward extension of the entire root system in its natural position always arouse great interest in observers of all classes, and even cause surprise to persons who have spent their whole lives upon the farm, and in many cases growing these very crops year after year. Such samples, prepared by various experiment -dations, have in every instance proved to be most instructive object lessons. Corn Root System. At the Wisconsin Station samples of ■ rn taken 42 days after planting, when the tops were about 18 inches high, showed that the roots of two hills met ind passed each other in the center of rows 3 y_. feet apart, and had penetrated the soil to a depth of about 18 inches. At the time of the last cultivation, when the corn was nearly three feet high, the roots were found to oc- i upy the entire soil down to a depth of ■ibout two feet, a third sample taken when the eorn was coming into full tassel showed that the roots had fully oc- i upied the upper three feet of soil in the entire field. At maturity the roots extended fully four feet into the soil iind the upper laterals were within four inches of the top of the ground. Experiments made at the various stations indicate that, by cultivating deeply, the large lateral roots of corn lying at a depth of four inches midway '•'tween the rows are likely to be oroken. It is believed that, as roots of listed corn He deeper, corn planted l>y this method may be cultivated close to the hill and three to four inches deep at the last cultivation without injury to the roots, while in level-planted corn, the roots rising nearly to the mirface several inches from the hill are destroyed by close cultivation. Deep cultivation for the purpose of forming a thick soil mulch is considered necessary, however, for the last cultivation of corn in hot and dry climates. Roots of Small Grains. Wheat roots examined 110 days after sowing the seed at the North Dakota Station were found to extend directly downward, sending out numerous small feeders which practically occupied the soil to a depth of four feet. Later experiments with durum and bread wheat showed roots to a depth of more than four leet, and again showed that the system of rooting is vertical instead of 'ateral, as in corn. The root sys tem of oats was found to be similar to that of wheat, but the roots were longer and more numerous and extended fully as deep into the ground. A "ample of winter rye taken July 7 showed that the roots had reached a depth of only three feet, and that their development was smaller than in other samples of cereals generally. Root Systems of Grasses. The North Dakota Station also examined the roots of one and two year old plants of Bromus inermis and found of potatoes at the North Dakota Station showed that the main portion of the root growth of this plant is shallow. Forty-three days after planting the principal part of the root development was found to lie within eight inches of the surface of the ground. A WELL KEPT DE KALB COUNTY ROAD. and generally reach deeper into the soil than the cultivated crops. G. E. M. The grass and weeds are kept down by use of the mower. that at one year old the roots had attained a depth of over four feet and formed a good sod, while the roots of the two-year-old grass had reached a depth of at least 5 y_, feet. The Kansas Station also found that the largest growth of fibrous roots in the surface soil was made by the perennial grasses as compared with cereal and other crops, and that certain species also extended their roots deeper into the soil than any other class of crops, except perennial leguminous plants. Legumes. The Kansas Station found that alfalfa was the deepest rooted plant under observation. The plant developed only a small growth of fibrous roots near the surface, the principal root development being deeper in the soil. Cowpeas and soy beans appeared to be light-rooting crops. At the North Dakota Station the roots of red clover during two years of development grew down over four feet and quite fully occupied the upper three feet of soil. Crimson clover roots in a single season attained a depth of three feet by August 22. Potatoes. Samples of an early and later variety The lateral roots had extended from hill to hill and interlaced. Some of the principal lateral roots were found to be only 2 % inches from the surface at six inches from the hill. This root development indicates the necessity of shallow cultivation of the crop, and this was confirmed in experiments with deep and shallow cultivation, the results showing a decided advantage for the shallow cultivation of potatoes un- hilled. It was also shown that late potatoes root more freely and more deeply than early ones, and as a result will not stand as close planting as early vareities. When the hills are about three feet apart each way the soil is very fully occupied by the roots to a depth of three feet. This study of the roots of plants gives a clearer idea of the proper method of preparing and cultivating the soil for the different field crops. In general, root systems of crops like corn, potatoes, beets beans, etc., reach from row to row and near the surface and hence should be given shallow cultivation, tho beets may be cultivated deeper than the other crops mentioned. The roots of cereals, grasses, clovers and alfalfa grow more directly downward Playgrounds for Country Children. Editors Indiana Farmer: That country children should have as good, (that is as useful) an education as those in town, goes without saying. But is it wise to push the mental powers at the expense of the physical? For the body it is that supplies the force that the brain needs. An observant experience of a good many years shows how many young people who have done extra well at their school and college examinations, seem to have used up their energy before the actual life- work has begun. They droop, and the promise of their early years is never fulfilled. It was doubtless this kind of observation that started Professor Myron Scudder of New Jersey, on his search after some corrective influence. He finds this in muscular exercise. But muscular exercise without the spirit of enthusiastic play, and the good-natured rivalry of the game, would not result in much. This concerted play is largely found in connection with our colleges. I remember how in England no boy was allowed to miss the ball games without a doctor's certificate. In those days football was mild and harmless, and very different from the fashion of it now. I recal lthe remark of a thinking young man to me. "Football as it used to be is the greatest quietus that an overwrought brain can have. Every muscle of your body is alert, giving tho tired brain a chance to gather fresh strength from its rest, for its next effort." But the country children,—their brains have surely no complaints to make. There's a true old couplet: "All work and no play, Makes Jack a dull boy." (In earlier England, the word play was su pronounced, that it was a passable rhyme to boy.) The children on th>' farm, expected to help with endless little chores, grow dull from the very monotony of the thing. In conse quence of the constant mechanical round their mental capacity needs awakening and sharpening up. And this, invigorating play with their lei. low accomplishes. Just one set of muscles are called into use by farm chores, while the others lie dormant. This is seen when farming boys enter athletic lists with city boys, they are not up to the usual standard and summarily fail. But Professor Scudder has been the means of bringing about a new state of things in many of the Eastern and Middle States. At the conferences, young teachers were enthused in the play-project for their scholars. Teachers and children together succeeded in enticing the parents away frohi the old ruts. School directors became interested, while the well-to-do friends are helping with the extra eash required. Professor Scudder expects great things from the country playgrounds. That it will raise the physical and moral standard of the country youth; that it will enkindle an increased love of home-life, and decrease the emigration to the towns, where the young man from the farm meets often his down- fa'l- L.ouisa A'hmuty Nash. Nashville. Oregon. |
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