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210
The Fairy-Land of Science
·
Arabella B. Buckley
139
But
the
plant
as
soon
as
it
has
roots
and
leaves
begins
to
make
living
matter
out
of
matter
that
has
never
been
alive.
Through
all
the
little
hairs
of
its
roots
it
sucks
in
water,
and
in
this
water
are
dissolved
more
or
less
of
the
salts
of
ammonia,
phosphorus,
sulphur,
iron,
lime,
magnesia,
and
even
silica,
or
flint.
In
all
kinds
of
earth
there
is
some
iron,
and
we
shall
see
presently
that
this
is
very
important
to
the
plant.
Suppose,
then,
that
our
primrose
has
begun
to
drink
in
water
at
its
roots.
How
is
it
to
get
this
water
up
into
the
stem
and
leaves,
seeing
that
the
whole
plant
is
made
of
closed
bags
or
cells?
It
does
it
in
a
very
curious
way,
which
you
can
prove
for
yourselves.
Whenever
two
fluids,
one
thicker
than
the
other,
such
as
treacle
and
water
for
example,
are
only
separated
by
a
skin
or
any
porous
substance,
they
will
always
mix,
the
thinner
one
oozing
through
the
skin
into
the
thicker
one.
If
you
tie
a
piece
of
bladder
over
a
glass
tube,
fill
the
tube
half-full
of
treacle,
and
then
let
the
covered
end
rest
in
a
bottle
of
water,
in
a
few
hours
the
water
will
get
in
to
the
treacle
and
the
mixture
will
rise
up
in
the
tube
till
it
flows
over
the
top.
Now,
the
saps
and
juices
of
plants
are
thicker
than
water,
so,
directly
the
water
enters
the
cells
at
the
root
it
oozes
up
into
the
cells
above,
and
mixes
with
the
sap.
Then
the
matter
in
those
cells
becomes
thinner
than
in
the
cells
above,
so
it
too
oozes
up,
and
in
this
way
cell
by
cell
the
water
is
pumped
up
into
the
leaves.
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