The Buds. 89 



preceding year's growth flowers in early spring. In 

 these plants, therefore, the flower-buds are inclosed by 

 the same bud scales that inclose the leaf -.buds, hence it is " 

 more difficult to foresee the number of flowers than in 

 the tree fruits. A knowledge of the location of the 

 flower- buds is very important in pruning plants grown 

 for their flowers or fruits (416). 



134. The Comparative Vigor of Leaf-Buds on a given 

 shoot depends somewhat upon their location and the 

 length and diameter of the internodes. The terminal 

 bud, when uninjured, is usually the most vigorous one, 

 and the vigor of the buds, as a rule, diminishes as we 

 recede from the terminal bud. On a given plant, the 

 buds are usually less vigorous on shoots having very 

 long and thick internodes, i. e., the shoots that grew 

 very rapidly (118), than on shoots with internodes of 

 average length and thickness (129). The more vigorous 

 buds are often tenderer than the less vigorous ones, 

 since they are usually farther developed the season in 

 which they are formed. 



Cions (386) or cuttings (358), of dormant wood, should 

 be made from shoots having internodes of average length 

 and thickness and with plump, well- matured buds. 



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 planting, 

 as has often been recommended, is detrimental to the 

 crop. 



135. Conditions Affecting the Formation of Flower-Buds. 

 The majority of cultivated plants are grown either for 



