LECT. VIII.] ORIGIN OF BRANCHES. 405 



her of ligneous layers : thus k. which is one year 

 old, is covered with one ligneous layer; i. with 

 two, and e. with three ; while the original trunk 

 has four, which give the age of the germ, whence 

 e. originated. But g. has two layers only, and 

 f. h. no more than one, although shooting from 

 the same surface as e. which is thus explained. 

 The branch g. sprung from an adventitious bud, 

 which protruded in the second year of the growth 

 of the stem ; and, therefore, although the germ 

 whence it originated is as old as that of e. yet it 

 is covered with two ligneous layers only ; and the 

 branch /. which it has produced in regular succes- 

 sion has but one, or is no older than k. the third in 

 succession on e. In the same manner the branches 

 f. and h. which have also sprung from adventitious 

 buds, are of the same age as k. although their 

 germs were generated on a. and are consequently 

 coeval with the first development of the trunk. 



Such are the observations which I have 

 thought necessary to be laid before you to illus- 

 trate the origin of branches and their connexion 

 with the trunk ; from which the following conclu- 

 sions maybe drawn: 1. That every branch ori- 

 ginates in a bud or germ. 2. That every bud or 

 germ is a distinct isolated individual, the lateral 

 progeny of the plant, and generated at the first 

 development of the stem or branch on which it 

 appears; but, after some time, increasing by 



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