lil'DS 131 



hiul, and cs[)cciall\' in the fir-cone itself, in which 

 an ever-varying double spiral can be traced. 



Loudon remarks, " The perfection of a fir con- 

 sists in height rather than in lateral expansion ; 

 buds are produced very sparingly and nearl)' 

 al\va}-s at the extremities of the shoots. Pro- 

 vision is thus mafic for tlic ui)\\ard growth of 

 the tree more than for side expansion." 



When we speak of a cotiiferous shrub ha\'ing 

 lost its leader, we mean that the terminal bud on 

 the topmost shoot having been broken off, one 

 or more of the lower branches must rise up and 

 take its place, and thus lateral buds in time 

 become terminal and grow upright instead of 

 sidewaj-s. 



A silver fir, that I have been obserxing 

 for years past, bears such a crop of hea\)- 

 cones on its slender upper branches that the 

 leader is almost invariabl)' brcjken off b\- the 

 weight, and the lateral shoots have to take its 

 place, to the great detriment of the central stem, 

 which is twisted and curved out of shape by the 

 efforts the tree makes to repair its terminal 

 shoot. 



