THE OPENING OF THE BUDS 



23 



not only a cluster of leaves but a cluster of un- 

 opened flowers. We know that when an apple is 

 borne upon a spur, the spur ceases to grow in 

 that direction (p. 7) ; that 

 is, the apple fruit is 

 terminal. Then we know 

 that the shoot from this 

 bud is destined to re- 

 main short all summer, 

 and we infer that the 

 leaves upon this short 

 spur will exercise an im- 

 portant office in nourish- 

 ing the fruit. 



25. We know that 

 apples are usually borne 



Struggle for existence among the 



singly, and yet the flow- apple flowers> 



ers (as seen in Fig. 13) 



are in clusters. Two or three weeks after the flow- 

 ers have gone, we examine the young apples, and 

 we see something like Fig, 14. One apple has 

 persisted and all the others have perished. There 

 is, then, struggle for existence even among flow- 

 ers; and in apples, at least, we are to expect many 

 more flowers than fruits 



SUGGESTIONS. The pupil should prove the conclusion in 14 ex- 

 perimentally. Let him lay off spaces at equal distances (say one- 

 quarter inch) on a young growing twig, and mark them with indelible 

 ink. If he visits the twig from day to day, and takes exact 

 measurements, he will make an interesting discoverv. 



FIG. 14. 



