CHAPTER VTII. 



Buds. 



104. Structure of Buds. — While studying twigs in their 

 winter condition, as directed in §§ 68, 69, the student had 

 occasion to notice the presence, position, and arrangement of 

 buds on the branch, but he was not called upon to look into the 

 details of their structure. The most natural time to do this 

 is just before the study of the leaf is begun, since, as every one 

 knows, leaves spring from buds and the rudiments of leaves 

 in some form must be found there. 



105. The Horse-Chestnut Bud. — Examine one of the lateral buds on 

 a twig in its winter or early spring condition.^ 



Make a sketcli of the external appearance of the buds as seen with a 

 magnifying glass. 



The scales with which it is covered will be seen to overlap each other 

 like shingles on a roof, and the thin edges of the scales fit very closely 

 down over those beneath. 



Notice the sticky coating on the scales. 

 Are the scales opposite or alternate ? 



Remove the scales in pairs, placing them in order on a sheet of paper, 

 thus: 



I Make the distance from 1 to 1 as much as 6 



I or 8 inches. 



] How many pairs are found ? 



i Observe as the scales are removed whether 



1 the sticky coating is thicker on the outside or 



^ * ^ i ^ * ^ the inside of each scale, and whether it is 

 i equally abundant on all the successive pairs. 



T ■ What is the probable use of this coating ? 



3 Note the delicate veining of some of the 



I scales as seen through the magnifying glass. 



1 



1 The best possible time for this examination is just as tlie buds are beginning to 

 swell slightly in the spring. The buckeye will do for this examination, though it is 

 . on a good deal smaller scale than the horse-chestnut. Buds may be forced to open 

 early by standing twigs in water in a very warm, light place. 



