DIMORPHIC BRANCHES OF COFFEE. 35 



rare cases an internode may bear three leaves and the branches may 

 stand in whorls of three. 



The buds that give rise to the upright limbs make their appearance 

 in the normal position, in the axils of leaves, but the lateral branches 

 develop in advance of the leaves of the joint to which they are at- 

 tached, and appear to arise from near the bases of the joints or inter- 

 nodes of the uprights, instead of from the ends of the joints. (See 

 PI. IV.) They do not ajDpear to have any connection with the leaf 

 which is nearest them below. There is no difference of texture or 

 line of separation between the upright and the young lateral branch. 

 Both are covered from the first with the same continuous skin or 

 epidermis, without groove or wrinkle. The lateral branches do not 

 fall off or separate from the upright except by decay. 



The lateral branches are always formed while the joint is young 

 and growing, instead of pushing out afterwards, as do the adventitious 

 or dormant buds. In this respect there is an abrupt difference between 

 the primaries or first generation of laterals and the second genera- 

 tion or secondary laterals. These arise from the primary laterals at 

 the axils of the leaves. Secondary laterals are seldom produced when 

 the uprights are allowed to grow normally, but the growth of secon- 

 dary laterals can be forced by severely pruning the uprights. Under 

 unfavorable conditions, where the growth of the plants is alternately 

 checked and forced, the formation of supernumerary secondary 

 laterals represents a diseased condition, somewhat resembling the 

 " witches'-brooms " of some of our northern trees. (See PI. V.) 



The axils of the lateral branches usually produce only flowers and 

 fruits. The floral buds appear in large numbers clustered on several 

 very short axillary branches. The secondary laterals can thus be 

 understood as representing sterilized floral branches. Flowers are 

 not normally formed on uprights. In the Bourbon coffee, which is 

 abnormally prolific in flowers, the uprights are occasionally fertile 

 to a slight extent. 



PROPAGATION OF COrFEE FROM OLD AVOOD OF UPRIGHT BRANCHES. 



The prevalent idea that coffee can not be grown from cuttings has 

 arisen, presumably, from attempts made with lateral or secondary 

 branches (fig. 5). Pieces of the main stem or of upright branches 

 take root readily and produce entirely normal trees. Several very 

 successful examples of vegetative propagation of coffee from upright 

 branches have been seen in Central America, though all were results 

 of accidents, not of any definite intention to apply a new method. In 

 such towns as Coban and Purula, in the coffee-growing districts of 

 the mountains of eastern Guatemala, one often finds fence stakes of 



198 



