The Story-Book of the Fields 



pumpkin and many others which must develop 

 their shoots in haste — in a few months or 

 a few days. As these have not to live 

 through the winter they are never covered 

 with protective scales ; but as soon as they 

 appear they lengthen, unfold their leaves and 

 become branches, taking their share in the 

 common work. Soon in the axil of their 

 leaves other shoots appear which act in the 

 same way, at once developing into branches 

 which produce other shoots in their turn. 

 This goes on until the winter puts a stop to 

 this series of branches and kills the whole 

 plant. Annuals therefore branch quickly, 

 producing in one year successive generations 

 of branches, more or fewer according to their 

 species and their degree of strength. Their 

 shoots, which have to develop speedily, are 

 always bare. Long-lived plants on the con- 

 trary, such as trees, branch slowly : they 

 have only one generation of branches in each 

 year and their shoots, which have to live 

 through the winter, are covered with scales. 



Certain plants produce both kinds of shoot, 

 such as the peach-tree and the vine. At the 

 end of winter we find the vine with scaly 

 shoots lined with down, and the branches of 

 the peach also bearing scaly shoots coated 



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