The Buds. 91 



133. The Comparative Vigor of Leaf -Buds on a given 

 shoot depends somewhat upon their location and the 

 length and diameter of the internodes. The terminal 

 bud, when uninjured, is usually the most vigorous one, 

 and the vigor of the buds, as a rule, diminishes as we 

 recede from the terminal bud. The more rapid the 

 growth of the shoot, the less developed, as a rule, are 

 the lateral buds. Cions (386) and cuttings (358) 

 should not, therefore, be taken from excessively vigorous 

 shoots. The more vigorous buds are often tenderer to 

 endure cold than the less vigorous ones, since they are 

 usually farther developed the season in which they are 

 formed, hence the terminal buds are most often injured 

 in winter. 



In the potato tuber, which is the thickened terminus 

 of an underground stem (Fig. 34), the most vigorous 

 shoot comes from the terminal bud (the so-called seed- 

 end) , hence rejecting this part of the tuber in planting, 

 as has often been recommended, is detrimental to the 

 crop. 



134. Conditions Affecting the Formation of Flower- 

 Buds. The majority of cultivated plants are grown 

 either for their flowers or the product of their flowers, 

 i. e., fruit or seed. But the flower is not an essential 

 part of the plant, and instead of contributing to its 

 welfare, as do the leaves and roots, it actually con- 

 sumes a part of the plant's reserve food (139). As 

 might be expected, therefore, perennial plants do not 

 always produce an annual crop of flowers, even when 

 well developed in other directions, hence the grower is 

 often disappointed. Since flowers can only come from 



