THE GREEN WORLD 221 



to vary among each other in their time of leaf and 

 flower. First, the bursting bud stage. When the bud, 

 fattening fast each day at this intensely-growing season, 

 reaches a length of two or three inches, it shows three 

 colours. The sheathing of it is partly old gold, partly 

 of a shining, bright rose colour; apparently the old 

 gold which is the chief colour of these sheathmgs or 

 shucks that tightly encased and protected the embryo 

 leaves and flower tassels through winter and early 

 spring turns here and there to this high rose hue. 

 Until the leaf begins to peep through its prison, the 

 rose is not to be seen, only the old gold. The bursting 

 bud shows a third colour, strong emerald green ; this 

 belongs to the uncrinkling leaf itself; but I note that 

 the emerald disappears when the leaf has quite cast its 

 wrappings and is spread naked to light and air; the 

 first greens of the beech leaf, when the bud stage is 

 over, are not emerald at all, though we may loosely 

 apply the word to the beech grove in May. 



Lying on and along the edges of the emerald folded 

 leaf in this bursting bud stage is a little white woolly- 

 looking material. The nature of this material is clearly 

 seen in the second and third phases of young leafing. 

 It consists of softest, silky hairs, which edge the whole 

 of each leaf. What purpose these hairs serve I do not 

 know. I think they are unlikely to be part of any 

 feeding arrangement. May they serve as some guard 

 against frost at the critical time when the wrappings 

 of the bud are peeling off or being thrust aside by the 



