THE WORK OF FLOWERS 287 



some Plums have a flower- bud on each side of the 

 leaf -bud. As the new leaves come out in the spring, 

 we find the three buds already formed in the axil of 

 each leaf, and the flowers which are soon formed 

 inside the flower -buds must wait a full year before 

 opening. In the first stages of their formation the 

 flowers may be too small to be 'seen (except with the 

 microscope) ; we must not, therefore, be hasty in con- 

 cluding that they are not yet present in any given 

 case. Fruit - growers have thought it desirable to 

 know the exact time when the flowers were formed in 

 the bud, in order that they might try to control this 

 process by irrigating and applying special fertilizers 

 at the proper time. Learn what you can about these 

 points. 



Examine some flower-buds which are just open- 

 ing. Do you find an abundance of food in them and in 

 the stems on which they are borne ? What kind of 

 food predominates ! Is there a rapid consumption of 

 food by the developing flowers ? Repeat the experi- 

 ment described on page 34, using flower- buds instead 

 of seeds. (Buds of Composite flowers, e.g., Sunflower, 

 Dandelion, Daisy, etc., are especially good.) What 

 does the result signify? Can you detect any setting 

 free of heat in the developing buds (see page 36) ? 



Of what use is the calyx, or green covering, of the 

 flower-bud ? We may endeavor to answer this question 

 by removing the calyx from the bud at as early^ a 



