POSITION OF BRANCHES. 



121 



in table 65. It will be understood that the figures in this table are the 

 percentages which the + (plus) entries in table 64 are of the sum of 

 the + (plus) and — (minus) entries for each branch. 



Table %^.— Percentage of cases in which succeeding branch occurs at the next node. 



These results speak for themselves. They show that the branch 

 production becomes more regular and orderly the farther out on an axis 

 we go. As the plant grows it tends with ever-increasing certainty to 

 produce a branch at each node. After a time it does this with very 

 remarkable — almost perfect — precision. 



Table 66. — Frequency distribution for the occurrence of secondary branches. 



Branch. 



First 



Second.. 



Third 



Fourth.. 



Fifth 



Sixth 



Seventh . 

 Eighth.. 

 Ninth.... 

 Tenth.... 



Number of branches in 5 nodes following designated branch. 



Series I, II, and III combined" 







10 

 2 



1 



11 

 7 

 5 

 6 

 5 

 3 

 2 

 2 

 1 

 1 



Series IV. 



12 

 4 

 4 

 2 

 2 

 2 

 2 

 1 

 1 



The fact that the tendency towards the production of a branch at 

 every node increases the farther distad on the axis we go is brought 

 out in another way by the data given in tables QiQ and 67. In these 

 tables are given distributions showing the frequency with which different 

 numbers of branches occur in the five nodes immediately following any 

 designated branch. Thus, considering the portion of a plant diagram- 

 matically represented in fig. 25, in which ah is a portion of a main stem, 

 say, and xy a primary branch bearing secondaries i to x, we see that 

 in the five nodes following the first branch only one branch occurs. 

 Similarly in the 5 nodes immediately following the second branch only 

 one occurs. In the 5 nodes immediately following a, the third, there 

 are 3 branches; h, the fourth, there are 4 branches; c, the fifth, there 



