lt 
1906] WIEGAND—BUDS AND TWIGS IN WINTER 407 
In December 1901 some experiments were conducted to show 
whether twigs and buds while continuing frozen lost as much water 
by evaporation as when alternately thawed and frozen several times 
during the same period. It was found that they did not quite, 
and hence the question whether bud-scales may function by pre- 
venting too frequent thawing and freezing. Several buds of Pinus 
Laricio and horsechestnut, also several twigs 15°™ long of Syringa 
vulgaris and apple, were sealed at the cut end with Venice turpen- 
tine, weighed, and quickly placed on a tray in the open air. They 
were divided into two equal lots, and one of these was brought 
into the warmer laboratory for a few moments ten times, thus insur- 
ing ten alternate thawings and freezings. During the experiment, 
which lasted three days, the temperature ranged from —18° C. to 
—7° C. in the open. The results were as follows: 
Horsechestnut buds continued frozen lost 0.4% of their water. 
«alternately thawed and frozen lost 0.6% of their water. 
i he oe — continued frozen lost 3.4% of their water. 
alternately thawed and frozen lost 5.0% of their water. 
ea twigs continued frozen lost 1.3% of their water. 
*¢ alternately thawed and frozen lost 2.4% of their water. 
i a — continued frozen lost 1.6% of their water. 
alternately thawed and frozen lost 2.4% of their water. 
In every case there was a greater loss of water from the buds 
which were alternately thawed and frozen. The difference was 
very marked, and in each case amounted to about one-third of the 
total loss. Considering the total quantity of water present, this 
was really a very slight increase in loss, however, being 0.25% in 
horsechestnut, 1.1% in lilac twigs, 0.8% in apple twigs, and 1.2% 
in pine buds; and with me it is a serious question whether, in all 
of these cases, so slight a difference would not be quickly equal- 
ized during spells of thawing by conduction from the older wood, 
if the twigs and buds were connected with the trunk in the normal 
manner. Again, the thawings in nature would probably be fewer, 
and it has not been shown that bud-scales prevent such thawings. 
It seems to me that here again a beneficial functioning of the bud- 
scales is very doubtful. 
But the most vital argument against all these cases lies in the 
fact that experiments have shown that dark buds tend actually to 
