TEACHER'S LEAFLET NO. 17. 



THE BURST OF SPRING. 



I. THE OPENING OF THE BUDS. (Z. H. Bailey.) 



PRING is coming ! The buds will burst 

 and the birds will sing ! 



How do the buds burst ? AVatch them 

 as the spring opens ; or if you are impatient, 

 cut long twigs and place them in bottles of 

 water in a living-room, and the buds will 

 swell. First notice what the winter buds are 

 like, — that they are spherical, or oblong, or coni- 

 cal bodies lying close to the limb and tightly 

 covered with scales. Notice that there is a mark 

 or scar beneath the bud, showing where a leaf 

 was borne. 



It is an excellent practice to collect winter 

 twijjs of different kinds of trees and bushes, and 

 to compare the form and color of the shoots, and 

 the size, shape, color and make-up of the buds. 

 Lay the twigs side by side on the table and notice how one differs 

 from the other. What part of the twig grew last year ? Notice 

 the " ring " at the base of the last year's growth. After all the dif- 

 ferences are noted, put the twigs in water, as you would a bouquet. 

 Sometimes flowers and leaves will appear. If the twigs are two or 

 three feet long, the buds are more likely to grow, for then there is 

 sufficient supply of food (or starch). Change the water frequently, 

 and cut off the lower ends of the twigs so that a fresh surface will 

 be exposed to the water. It will be two to five weeks before the 

 buds open, depending mostly on the kind of plant. 



Mark one bud on a maple, or apple, or lilac, or other plant, by 

 tying a string about the twig. Look at it carefully from day to 

 day : observe how it opens, and what comes out of it. 

 The pupil should know that a winter twig has interest. 



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