The Buds. 91 



133. The Comparative Vigor of Leaf-Buds on a 



given shoot depends somewhat upon their location and 

 the length and diameter of the internodes. The ter- 

 minal bud, when uninjured, is usually the most vigor- 

 ous one, and the vigor of the buds, as a rule, dimin- 

 ishes as we recede from the terminal bud. The more 

 rapid the growth of the shoot, the less developed, as a 

 rule, are the lateral buds. Cions (386) and cuttings 

 (358) should not, therefore, be taken from excessively 

 vigorous shoots. The more vigorous buds are often ten- 

 derer to endure cold than the less vigorous ones, since 

 they are usually farther developed the season in which 

 they are formed, hence the terminal buds are most often 

 injured in winter. 



In the potato tuber, which is the thickened terminus 

 of an underground stem (Fig. 34), the most vigorous 

 shoot comes from the terminal bud (the so-called seed- 

 end) , hence rejecting this part of the tuber in plant- 

 ing, as has often been recommended, is detrimental to 

 the crop. 



134. Conditions Affecting the Formation of Flower- 

 Buds. The majority of cultivated plants are grown 

 either for their flowers or the product of their flowers, 

 i. e., fruit or seed. But the flower is not an essential 

 part of the plant, and instead of contributing to its 

 welfare, as do the leaves and roots, it actually con- 

 sumes a part of the plant's reserve food (139). As 

 might be expected, therefore, perennial plants do not 

 always produce an annual crop of flowers, even when 

 well developed in other directions, hence the grower is 

 often disappointed. Since flowers can only come from 



