I’m told an Objection hath been made from hence against the Growth of a Plant’s being in proportion to the Length of its Roots; but when the Case is fully stated, the Objection may vanish. This Witch-Elm is a very old decay’d Stump, which is here called a _Staggar_, appearing by its Crookedness to have been formerly a _Plasher_ in an old White-thorn Hedge wherein it stands: It had been lopped many Years before that accidental Increase of Roots happened; it was stunted, and sent out poor Shoots; but in the third Year of these Roots, its Boughs being most of them horizontally inclined, were observed to grow vigorously, and the Leaves were broad, and of a flourishing Colour; at the End of the third Year all these Roots were taken away, and the _Area_ being a Chalk-Rock lying uncovered, round the Place where the Single Root, that produced all these, came out of the Bank, no more Roots could run out on the bare Chalk, and the Growth of the Boughs has been but little since. _Wheat_, drill’d in double Rows in _November_, in a Field well till’d before Planting, look’d yellow, when about Eighteen Inches high; at Two Feet Distance from the Plants, the Earth was Ho-plow’d, which gave such Nourishment to ’em, that they recovered their Health, and changed their sickly Yellow, to a lively Green Colour. So in an Orchard, where the Trees are planted too deep, below the Staple or good Mould, the Roots, at a little Distance from the Stem, are all as near the upper Superficies of the Ground, as of those Trees, which are planted higher than the Level of the Earth’s Surface. But the Damage of planting a Tree too low in moist Ground is, that in passing thro’ this low Part, standing in Water, the Sap is chill’d, and its Circulation thereby retarded. One Cause of Peoples not suspecting Roots to extend to the Twentieth Part of the Distance which in reality they do, was from observing these Horizontal-Roots, near the Plant, to be pretty taper; and if they did diminish on, in proportion to what they do there, they must soon come to an End. But the Truth is, that after a few Inches, they are not discernibly taper, but pass on to their Ends very nearly of the same Bigness; this may be seen in _Roots_ growing in Water, and in some other, tho’ with much Care and Difficulty. In pulling up the aforemention’d _Turneps_, their Roots seem’d to end at few Inches Distance from the Plants, they being, farther off, too fine to be perceiv’d by ordinary Observation. I found an extreme small Fibre on the Side of a _Carrot_, much less than a Hair; but thro’ a Microscope it appear’d a large Root, not taper, but broken off short at the End, which it is probable might have (before broken off) extended near as far as the _Turnep_ Roots did. It had many Fibres going out of it, and I have seen that a _Carrot_ will draw Nourishment from a great Distance, tho’ the Roots are almost invisible, where they come out of the _Carrot_ itself.