ALTERNATION IN FRUIT - BEARING 31 



the stronger branch ( a) has made a thick and 

 rounded bud, which is to bear flowers. This 

 fruit -bud is shown natural size at a a. The short 

 lateral branches are called spurs, in distinction 

 from the longer axial growths. We have already 

 found (page 29) that checking growth induces 



13. Formation of the lateral bud on the fruit-spur. 



fruitfulness, but on the other hand, starving or 

 greatly weakening the growth generally gives only 

 a weak leaf -bud. 



When fruits or flowers are borne on the end of 

 a spur, the direction of the subsequent growth is 

 necessarily changed. Fig. 13 is a bearing spur 

 of apple. While the apple is growing from the 

 terminal bud, a lateral bud (a) is forming to con- 

 tinue the spur the next year. The same thing is 

 illustrated in Fig. 14. This side bud (a, Fig. 13) 



