118 THE NATURE AND WORK OF PLANTS 



162. Buds of elder, maple, or elm. Sketch a 

 twig of one of these plants, showing the leaf scars 

 and the position and size of the buds. Treat as 

 above. 



163. Sleeping buds. It is to be seen that a 

 bud is simply a young branch, and, furthermore, 

 that all the branches of the plant are developed in 

 this manner. It is important, therefore, that the 

 plant should be furnished with an ample supply of 

 them, so that the destruction of a few need not 

 deprive it entirely of the power of making new 

 branches. There is one or perhaps more of these 

 growing points at the base of every leaf. Only a 

 small proportion of them develop in any year, the 

 remainder lying quiescent, and may continue to do 

 so for years, being known as sleeping buds. Many 

 of these structures may be found on the lower 

 parts of the stems of young trees. 



164. The awakening of sleeping buds. If the 

 top of a tree is cut off, some of the sleeping 

 buds remaining on the upper part of the stem 

 start into life, developing branches, and giving the 

 plant a low, compact appearance. In the pruning 



