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THE CRAB APPLE. 



THE BRANCHES. 



The trunk is covered with dull, hrown-grey bark, rather tough 

 in texture — it soon ramities into boughs, and again into numerous 

 nianv-angled branches, all coloured a dull, dark grey. Both the trunk 

 and its sub-ordinates produce wavy adventitious shoots. The branches 

 become pendent and give off projecting shoots, which grow to a 

 considerable length, onlv interrupted bv stiff, stunted twigs, covered 

 with raised rings, and bearing each a bunch ot leaves round the 

 terminal bud. The whole tree is a maze of wMry twigs in every 

 direction, threaded bv numerous large branches. 



THE LEAF. 



In September the shoots formed during the summer are to be 

 distinguished bv their red-brown colour. Small alternate buds, pointed 



at the top and thickened at the base, are 

 arranged down the shoot in series of five, 

 and lie close against it. Last vear's leaf- 

 stalk has left its traces at the base of the 

 buds in a projection running down the 

 shoot, which destroys its roundness. This, 

 however, is restored in the older twigs. 

 About the end ai April the young leaves 

 are to be found standing upright, the two 

 edges rolled ifiwards towards the central 

 ril). The earliest leaves to expand form a 

 rosette round the inner and less well-grown 

 ones, which are still upright. The young 

 leaves are semi-transparent, shining, and 

 tinted a red brown ; their stalks are covered with white hairs, which 



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