STUDIES OP FRUIT - BEARING 27 



THE LEAF -BUD AND THE FRUIT-BUD 



Another apple branch is shown in Fig. 9. It 

 seems to have no slender last year's growth, as 

 Figs. 5 and 6 have at / h. It, therefore, needs 

 special attention. It is first seen that the "ring" 

 marking the termination of a year's growth is at 

 a. There are dormant buds at b b. The twig 

 above a must be more than one year old, however, 

 because it bears short lateral branches at e e. If 

 these branchlets are themselves a year old (as 

 they appear to be), then the 'portion / g must be 

 a similar branch, and the twig itself (a f) must 

 be two years old. The ring marking the termina- 

 tion of the growth of year before last is, therefore, 

 at /. In other words, a twig is generally a year 

 older than its oldest branches. 



The buds c c (Fig. 9) are larger than the dor- 

 mant buds fb bj. That is, they have grown; and 

 if they have grown, they are really branches, and 

 leaves were borne upon their little axes in the 

 season just past. The branchlets d d d are larger 

 (possibly because the accompanying leaves were 

 more exposed to light), and ee and g are still 

 larger. For some reason the growth of this twig 

 was checked last year, and all the branches re- 

 mained short. We find, in other words, that there 

 is no necessary length to which a branch shall 

 grow, but that its length is dependent upon local 

 or seasonal conditions. 



