104 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



or base of the leaf H. In the same way as formerly at K a 

 bud existed, which has now formed the complete shoot or 

 flush K a, so at the base of the leaves c, d, e, f, exist buds 



i, 2, 3, 4, from which later new shoots would spring. These 

 again would all have buds at the base of the leaves, destined 

 to form further shoots, which again would be the parents of 

 others, and so on to the end of the season, or until the tree 

 is pruned. 



It will readily be seen the increase is tremendous. It is 

 only limited by the power of the soil to fling out new shoots, 

 and the necessities of the plant, for, as I have explained, when 

 as much foliage exists as the plant requires, but few new 

 shoots are produced. 



Now supposing the shoot in the diagram to be (with per- 

 haps another not shown at L) the first on the branch / / in 

 the spring (the said branch having been cut off or pruned at 

 the upper /). It is then evident the said shoot is destined to 

 be the parent and producer of all the very numerous branches 

 a nd innumerable shoots into which the plant will extend in 



