TREES THAT KEEP A DIARY 81 



scars thus give a complete record of the total 

 amount of foliage. On trees like the beech, flower 

 scars are also discernible. In this way each branch 

 bears a complete and extremely accurate record 

 of its life on its face. With only a little practice 

 it is possible to mark and diagram the life history 

 of a young tree-shoot with the utmost precision. 

 You can point out how old it is, just how much it 

 grew in all its parts each year, and the exact num- 

 ber of leaves it put forth each season in other 

 words, you can take its exact physical measure- 

 ments and test its life strength as a physical in- 

 structor would do. The lack of small side branches 

 on a tree bespeaks advanced age. The older a tree 

 gets, the more sap it requires for the main stem. 

 The lower small branches are gradually dropped 

 off as they are no longer needed and are an unneces- 

 sary drain on the tree's resources. 



Each tree diary is different, as the diary of two 

 human beings would be different. When we cut 

 into or dissect a tree we get at its intimate daily life- 

 story. According to Professor Ferdinand Cohn, 

 some plant cells "are round or oval, or resemble 

 a many-sided crystal. Some cells become flat and 

 square, like a tile; some put out rays, like a star, 

 or form a zigzag, like the wall of a fortress; many 

 lengthen themselves out. The inner structure of 



