The exact measurement of the features of plants, made by botanists in the course of their studies of the mechanism of plant growth, reveals some striking figures. E. J. Salisbury has commented on some of these in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. He mentions that T. K. Pavlychenko has measured the total length of the roots and root hairs on isolated oat, wiiest, and rye plants. In each case it amounts to about fifty But if these plants are grown in the normal way in rows six inches apart the total root length of each individual is reduced to about half a mile. Thus the competition of the plants reduces their root lengths by one hundred times.
The influence o! development of the finer roo! ud hairs is of some practical importance in connecsentation. This pri them, so several days or even weeks may pass before a transplant has grown another set During this period the surface area of the roots through which moisture s absorbed will be much reduced, while the ar the foliage above the soil, through which evaporation of moisture takes plac& will remain the same. Hence plant will lose the moisture and wither, This explain: why the removal of leaves after transplantation often helps the blent
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