Keegan: The Bursting of the Buds in Spring. 127 
| What, then, is a bud? The text-book definition is, that it is 
: “the young condition of a shoot; either the whole young shoot, 
or the young portion at the free end of a shoot already further 
developed’; or it is ‘the growing point of a shoot surrounded by 
its leaves.’ Its formation depends on the under side of a foliar 
organ growing more strongly than the upper side thereof. 
Then again, buds have been regarded as one of the chief 
reservoirs of reserve material, viz., essentially only of proteids, 
carbohydrates, and fats; but this description is correct only 
under the limitations which we have already alluded to. When 
the bud unfolds, growth in length commences to become 
: stronger on the upper side of the embryonic Jeaf, i.e., the blade 
_ extends in surface by intercalation of new substances by means 
of water between its base and its apex, both of which points 
remain as they were before. Strictly speaking, then, it may 
be concluded that in most cases the principal structural and 
functional portions of the mature leaf were non-existent in the 
bud out of which they were produced. In fact, with certain 
exceptions, only a small portion of the skeleton of the leaf, i.e., 
‘ its base and apex, actually existed in the bud (or ‘gem,’ as 
Dryden calls it); the whole of the lamina or blade is formed 
ae Subsequently. In other words, in a rigid scientific point of 
_ View, a bud may be defined as a very rudimentary skeletal 
Re Structure placed in the immediate vicinity of a magazine of 
a . . . - 
j cells, some of which are essentially reproductive, i.e., have 
a clearly defined nucleus and abundant white, translucent 
protoplasm, while others are essentially vegetative, i.e., have 
large vacuoles full of meat or mineral matter, around which the 
protoplasm may be readily transformed into a vehicle of nutritive 
substances. At the commencement of their germination there is 
but little respiration, according to some observers, but its 
quantity increases with the progressive development of the 
see 
time. In fact, the phenomena attending the development of the 
leaf-bud is very similar to those which are observable on the 
development of the flower-bud. 
e need not dwell upon the beauties of the opening woods. 
‘ The tops of the horse-chestnut boughs look as if they glowed 
into the air with life,’ says Hunt. And ‘each young spray 
a rosy flush receives,’ exclaims another poet. Nor need we 
travel as far as the tropical West Indies, where, as has been 
said, ‘at the sii of the rainy season in April and May 
“April, 809. 
Ree Sian cS Saree AE nan oe 
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