21 



shoot, terminating at B. It had a large termi- 

 nal bud (Hke those at 7, 8, 9, lo), and this bud 

 pushed on into a branch in 1896, and three 

 other buds near the tip did the same thing. 



Why did some of these branches grow to be 

 larger than others ? " Simply because they were 

 upon the strongest part of the shoot, or that part 

 where the greatest growth naturally takes place/' 

 some one will answer. But this really does not 

 answer the question, for we want to know why 

 this portion of the shoot is strongest. The real 

 reason is because there is more sunlight and more 

 room on this outward or upward end. In 1 897, — 

 if this shoot had been spared — each of these four 

 largest twigs (7, 8, 9, 10) would have done the 

 same thing as the parent twig did in 1896: each 

 would have pushed on from its end, and one or 

 two or three other strong branches would prob- 

 ably have started from the wrong side buds near 

 the tips, the very lowest buds would, no doubt, 

 have remained perfectly inactive or dormant for 

 lack of opportunity, and the intermediate buds 

 would have made short branches like 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 

 In other words, the tree always tries to grow on- 

 ward from its tips, and these tip shoots eventually 

 become strong branches, unless some of them die 

 in the struggle for existence. What, now, be- 

 comes of the little branches lower down ? 



II. 



From another apple tree I took the twig 

 shown in Fig. 20. We see at once that it is very 

 unlike the other one. It seems to be two years 

 old, one year's growth extending from the base 

 up to 7, and the last year's growth extending 

 from 7 to 8; but we shall see upon looking closer 

 that this is not so. The short branchlets at 3, 4, 

 5, 7 are very different from those in Fig. 19. 

 They seem to be broken off. The fact is that 



6 



8- 



Fig. 20. — A tkref-year-old 

 shoot and (he fruit- 

 spurs. HalJ size. 



