350 THE ROLL OF THE SEASONS 



the leaf to the twig, and often to the branch, the stem, 

 and the tuber warehouse underground. As they pass 

 from the leaf-blade to the permanent wood, some one 

 closes the gate. The outwork is to be abandoned, 

 and bark must grow where there were channels for 

 the flow of sap. The leaf, or the skeleton that 

 remains, is no longer of the tree, though it remains on 

 the tree till the cleansing wind shakes it down. 



A curious phase of leaf-abandonment is shown on 

 our house-wall, where the Virginia creeper is flaming 

 so redly. First of all, the substances that the green 

 cells have worked for are withdrawn from each leaflet 

 to the leaf-stalk. The cork layers of separation are 

 formed, and one by one the leaflets fall, till the wall 

 bristles with leaf-stalks, down which the sap is slowly 

 passing to its true winter quarters. For soon the 

 lower bridge is blocked, and a second moult rids the 

 creeper of all of its summer hamper. It is the same 

 with the sumach, the ash, the chestnut, and the 

 " Sacred Tree of Heaven," which has become such a 

 favourite in our towns. It seems as though these trees 

 hoped every year to be allowed to retain at least the 

 long middle stalks of their leaves. It is not to be, 

 however, for, one and all, they are at length compelled 

 to cut down to the first bud. One wise and capable 

 plant alone there is in the garden that retains a bit of 

 the stalk. That is the syringa, which keeps just a 

 scale-like portion as a house for its bud till next 

 spring. 



If what we have said were the whole truth, we 

 could have autumn tints at will by starving the roots 

 of our summer trees. The elm branch that we broke 

 in climbing for the magpie's nest shows that this is 



