204 pEscjiiPTjow op tut Pia». 



flower bud got its scales and clothing to fit it for the cold 

 it may encounter, thttn the itein will lengthen, and leuve 

 the femule bud on rach side of the stalk ; carrying its leaves 

 fi>till covered by a s>ca!e) on the top ; when growing iu length, 

 and having now acquired a prQi>er height, for the last time 

 the btem begins to t>hoot, and tlie leaves push oti' the scale 

 as they increase, depositing their proper number at each 

 poiot of the stalk, according to the species. But the calyx 

 still remains stationary, so that the length of the stalk, 

 with tb^ number of leaves contained in each bud, is easily 

 known. 

 Fe<>u!iarbud There is in tb*^ pines a peculiar sort of bud, that must 

 in the piiies. catch the attention of the most careless. In the shape, 

 and with the appearance of a bud, it is in reality the spring 

 shoot, showing itself in Mayor June, just after the leaf 

 buds have made their spring increase, and when their fea- 

 thery tops display such beatiful green plumes, it is also 

 that peculiar thing, which serves to show the height the tree 

 gains each year, and proves, that the leaves alone form its 

 covering. It is the increase of the stem without the wood ; 

 that is, the bark and inner bark forming their shoots, while 

 all around the sides, closely imbedded, are found buds of 

 leaves, serving, as the stem increases, for the future cover- 

 ing of the tree. As soon as this is finished, the wood, line 

 of bfe, and pith shoot up in the middle, and then the stem 

 is completed. 

 iFemalebud. But this does not happen till the female bud is formed 



at the top of this new shoot. At first the line of life runs 

 up through it, and may be seen us a few green threads, fol- 

 lowed by some wood vessels. The female flower is then 

 protruded ; and the rest of the wood begir)s to grow. This 

 is an uncommonly curious process, as plainly proving two 

 things: 1st, That the bark, inner bark, and leaves, want 

 little assistance from the wood : 2d, That as soon as the 

 pistil and stamens begin to grow, the line of life is their 

 first accompaniment, and then the wood. The bud, when 

 the female cone appears at top, is near a foot long, and 

 often more in the Scotch fir, in the spruce still more, and in 

 the silver fir less. Still it is the same thing, though rather 

 different in appearance. 

 / * There 



