Fruit Spurs of Cherry. 35 



growth of this terminal bud. What would become of the 

 brown scales? Might not the inner green ones grow a 

 little ? Where are the scars left by the scales of last year's 

 terminal bud ? Imagine three or four cherries in place of 

 each fruit bud on your specimen. Why not pick the whole 

 compound bunch, spur and all, instead of taking the simple 

 clusters one at a time ? Do you see that more than one 

 season is required to make a cherry ?* 



Gather, before the next exercise, some of the rough, 

 brittle branches of a poplar or cottonwood tree. The sea- 

 sonal growths on these are often only one or two inches 

 long. The buds are much larger than those on the smooth 



*If the class is working between January and July, it should continue the 

 study of these fruit-spur buds. When the lateral buds have doubled their dor- 

 mant size each pupil should examine one. This work would make an exercise in 

 which the following questions, among others, would arise: Which scales have 

 grown? Have they changed in shape? What is peculiar about the margins? the 

 apexes ? Have the blossom buds grown ? [By this time the class will have studied 

 flowers.] Which organs of the flower are most developed in this bud ? Which 

 are longer, the anthers or the filaments ? What can you say about the pistil ? 



The next exercise would be a study of the bud when its recurved scales have 

 disclosed the flower buds, now considerably larger but the peduncles yet very 

 short. These questions would be pertinent: What is the shape of the flower 

 buds? Why are they thus angular? How could you tell by the shape of one bud 

 the number of buds in the lateral winter bud? What changes have taken place 

 in the organs of the flower? Have the peduncles grown? the filaments? Of 

 course drawings should be made. Just before the buds open a third study may be 

 made and these questions asked: How long is the peduncle? Why have the 

 buds lost their angularity? What change has taken place in the stamens? How 

 many ovules are there ? 



The open blossom, the growing fruit and finally the ripe cherry would fur- 

 nish material for exercises, completing an interesting series. The pupils would 

 then have a fair knowledge of the seasonal work of a cherry fruit-spur the 

 highest work of a cherry-tree. 



