A Study of Winter Branches 31 



at a glance where last summer's leaves grew, for 

 each leaf, when it fell, left a scar on the bark. 

 These scars, too, differ widely in different trees. 

 They may be flat on the stem, or raised on a little 

 hump, or sunk below the level of the bark. They 

 may be heart-shaped, triangular, round, oval, or 

 horseshoe-shaped, according to the kind of tree. 



Just above these scars, or partly surrounded by 

 them, are the buds in which next year's leaves are 

 folded and sleeping. As each leaf-bud can grow 

 into a branch, the boughs of the future will spring 

 from the places where last summer's leaves used 

 to grow. If the buds are scattered singly along 

 the boughs, the branches that are to be will have 

 no opposite branch neighbors. If the leaves stood 

 in pairs along the stem, the buds will be in pairs 

 likewise, and shoots will start in pairs along the 

 boughs next spring. When these shoots are sev- 

 eral years old, they will be boughs themselves. 

 So any tree or shrub which bears opposite leaves, 

 as the maples and the lilacs, will have many pairs 

 of boughs. 



But here and there on the lilac bushes there is 

 a spray without a mate. Opposite this lone in- 

 dividual, if we look with care, we shall probably 

 find a bud which has failed to grow. 



There are always a few such undeveloped 

 buds on every branch. We find them at once 

 if the branching is opposite, because there will be 

 one spray in the place where a pair should arise. 



