THE OPENING OF THE BUDS 



19 



cover facts which the fruit-grower himself may 

 never have seen. 



V. THE OPENING OF THE BUDS 



18. We are curious to know how the buds of 

 the apple twigs (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) open in the 

 spring, and how the "young growths start out. 

 Let us look at the trees, and see. Fig. 12 is 



FIG. 11. 

 Spurs of a crab apple. 



from the same Siberian crab -apple tree 



that Fig. 11 is. The pupil will see 



where the fruit was borne last year. 



He will see at a glance that the present 



opening buds are the leaf -buds which 



were formed on the side of the spur last year. 



The little dry scales "which covered the buds in 



the winter have been pushed aside, and a new 



shoot is coming forth. The leaves are many. 



In a few days we shall be able to count them. 



Already nine of them are visible on the upper spur, 



