ZSSSONS WITH PLANTS 



should be made to determine how many years the spur 

 maintains sufficient vigor to bear good fruit. 



VIII. CHARACTERS IN WINTER TWIGS 



35. A twig of the balm of Gil- 

 ead is shown in Fig. 35. There are 

 several conspicuous features on it: the 

 great prominence of some buds and the 

 smallness of others (the result of 

 struggle for place and light) ; the strik- 

 ing shape of the buds ; the very- 

 large scars where the leaf- stalks were 

 attached. The marks or dots on these 

 scars are places where the woody bun- 

 dles of the leaf- stalk were attached to 

 the twig. Some of the axils developed 

 no buds ; and it is interesting to note 

 that these failures took place at the base 

 and top of the twig. The pupil should 

 observe the greater development of buds 

 in the middle of the twig. We should 

 expect the variation in the size of the 

 buds to be an incidental feature, — vary- 

 ing in different twigs. The size, shape 

 and color of the buds, the shape of the 

 budrscales, and the peculiarities of the 



Pig. 35. 



Twig of balm 

 of Gilead. 



