Applications of capillarity:
1. A blotting paper or a cotton cloth absorbs water, ink by capillary action.
2. Oil rises up the wick of an oil lamp and sap rises up xylem tissues of a tree by capillarity.
3. Ground water rises to the open surface through the capillaries formed in the soil. In summer, the farmers plough their fields to break these capillaries and prevent excessive evaporation.
4. Water rises up the crevices in rocks by capillary action. Expansion and contraction of this water due to daily and seasonal temperature variations cause the rocks to crumble.
[Note: The rise of sap is due to the combined action of capilarity and transpiration. The transpiration pull, is considered to be the major driving force for water transport throughout a plant.]