1921] STRAUSBAUGH—DORMANCY AND HARDINESS 343 
during the portion of the winter following this date, which marks 
an apparent (if not actual) break in dormancy (DorsEy and 
STRAUSBAUGH 5). 
Moisture content and movement of water in hardy and 
semihardy buds 
As in the break of dormancy, marked differences are also found 
in the moisture content of the hardy and semihardy buds. In 
both fruit and foliage buds of Assiniboine the moisture falls to a 
certain point early in the season, and then remains almost constant 
throughout the remainder of the winter up to the initiation of 
growth activity in the spring. In the buds of Stella and Tonka 
the moisture content undergoes some marked fluctuations during 
the course of the winter, and these coincide, in a general way at 
least, with corresponding fluctuations in temperature. The plotted 
TABLE II 
WATER LOSS FROM SEMIHARDY BUDS ACCOMPANYING MARKED LOWERING OF 
FOoLmiaGE BUDS FRvit Bubs 
VARIETY 
N i 
se December1r| Loss i December 1 Loss 
—— ener Lok cpt 39.08 34.68 4.40 50.38 43-51 6.87 
AOBRA. Sockec ea 39.08 33-94 5.14 50.51 43.93 6.58 
Assiniboine. ....... 38.12 Og ad se eae 46.51 45-49 .02 
curves show three distinct periods at which such a behavior in 
water movement in relation to temperature is indicated, namely, on 
December 1, January 23, and March 5. On November 30 the 
temperature fell to 8° F., and on December 1 the thermometer 
registered —12°F. Bud collections made at this time showed a 
decrease in moisture content as indicated in table IT. 
From the data of this table it will be noted that while the 
moisture content of the foliage buds decreased 4.4 per cent and 
5.14 per cent respectively in Stella and Tonka, the foliage buds of 
Assiniboine showed practically no change. In the case of the 
fruit buds the loss in Stella and Tonka is 6.87 per cent and 6.58 
per cent, while those of Assiniboine show the very slight loss of 
1.02 per cent. 
