336 ' NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



to more than a hundred per cent as several pupils mentioned two 

 seasons in which the buds could form. The majority of pupils 

 believe that buds form in the spring. This is true until we get to 

 the seniors in an Agricultural College and teachers just out of 

 Normal School. The larger per cent of these students believe 

 that buds form in the fall. That one quarter of the pupils think 

 that buds form in winter may be due to the old proxy of things 

 happening instead of growing. We must place more emphasis 

 upon the differences between these two phenomena. 



What do Buds Do in the Spring? 



Buds begin to grow very early in the spring. Many people 

 glibly say that they begin to "swell." This growth keeps up for 

 several months. The scales then spread apart and fall off. 

 Twigs set in water in the house show how slowly this process takes 

 place. 



Out of 191 answers 100 said that they open. 14 others said that 

 they burst open. The use of the term burst was used almost 

 exclusively by the female sex. 22 others said that buds form 

 in the spring. The remaining 55 used such terms as grow, bloom, 

 unjold, and develop. After looking over nearly 200 answers to 

 this question one draws the conclusion that the majority of people 

 have a mental picture of the bud and its "spring opening" as a 

 sort of spontaneous generation. They believe that they burst 

 open as mushrooms which are said to grow over night. 



What is the Advantage of Horsechestnut Buds Having 

 Varnish? Of Having Wool? 



The varnish not only keeps too much water out which is rarely 

 necessary but serves the more important function of preventing 

 the tender leaves from drying out. The wool does not serve to 

 keep out the cold since the buds freeze. The covering is a non- 

 conductor and prevents sudden freezing and thawing. This 

 "slow process" applies in the same way to the successful thawing 

 out of frozen ears. The majority fall easy prey to the idea that 

 varnish is to keep out the moisture and that wool is to keep the 

 buds warm. 



What is the Difference Between an Insect and a Bug? 

 In a popular way the term insect includes bacteria, spiders, 

 and wood lice. A coral-polyp has wrongly been called a coral- 



