tral branch. Sometimes two buds devel 

 op at the end of a branch, as in the case 

 of the lilac, and then a continual forking 

 results. 



Just as all seedlings do not live or 

 seeds develop, so all buds do not survive. 

 In spite of protective measure taken, 

 various enemies attack the buds ; the 

 weather kills many, insects destroy oth 

 ers, and the struggle for supremacy goes 

 on among them as it does among all plant 

 and animal neighbors. For there is often 

 insufficient food for all, stored up in the 

 branch, or one bud will get an earlier 

 start than the other, and so have the ad 

 vantage. One can readily see how the 

 symmetry of a tree can be lost and why 

 there is such variety of branching. The 

 beautiful weeping effects of birches and 

 willows, the delicate traceries of elm 

 twigs, and the stately appearance of pine 

 trees and palms are all the result of the 

 position of buds on the stem and their 

 success in development. 



It is better to choose for observation 

 large buds, those of the elm or of the 

 horse-chestnut. The large scars on the 

 stem are made by the old leaves. The 

 buds are borne just above the scars, that 

 is, in the axils of the leaves. The rings 

 that appear at intervals on the stem are 

 made by the bud scales. The growth in 



between the rings is that of the past 

 spring and summer, so that by counting 

 the rings one can get some idea of the 

 age of the branch. If we keep in mind 

 that the leaf bud is a miniature branch 

 a short s'tem that bears a pair or several 

 pairs of leaves so close together that they 

 almost spring from the same point, we 

 can easier understand its growth as it 

 unfolds. When the bud opens, the short 

 stem lengthens, the leaves thus become 

 farther apart and are ready to expand. 

 The growth is usually rapid, and is often 

 complete in several weeks. Afterwards 

 the tree begins to form the bud for the 

 following year. 



Winter buds are protected from the 

 weather by the strong, brown scales 

 which enclose them, and often by a coat 

 of varnish which keeps out the water. 

 If v;e carefully take off the scales, we 

 can notice, if the bud is from an elm, the 

 glue in which the scales are bathed and 

 the strong aromatic odor ; probably un 

 welcome insects are thus kept away. In 

 the horse-chestnut the young leaves are 

 enveloped in a woolly coat which keeps 

 the buds warm as well as protects them 

 from water. Many young leaves are cov 

 ered with down that usually wears off 

 as the leaves mature. 



MARY LEE VAN HOOK. 



GREEN LEAVES 



After the whiteness of the wintry days 



Of the ice-locked nights and the frosty haze, 



As Nature revives from her frozen sleep, 



Warmed by the sun rays, the rivulets leap 



Unfettered and free, and the south winds sing 



In the wondering woods, where the feet of Spring, 



Noiselessly tiptoes and dances along ; 



After the cold comes the laughter and song, 



For the heart beats fast as the sky turns blue, 



And we feel the gladness of life run through 



Our sluggish veins with a swifter flight, 



And our heart goes out to the mountain height 



Where the trees are donning their green attire, 



And the maples glow with a living fire. 



After the ice and the snow and the cold, 



How the pulses bound as the eyes behold 



The Green Leaves flutter and thrill in the breeze, 



From the slender tips of the laughing trees ! 



CHARLES F. FUDGE. 



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