READING SIGNS 15 



years old. Cut it off and see if you can count 

 five rings around its pith. If so, your judg- 

 ment is correct. It would be well to try this 

 experiment a few times ; then you are ready for 

 older trees. A twig that gets the most light 

 and air shows the lustiest growth, and hence is 

 easier to read. And remember bud scales al- 

 ways mean winter or a year of growth. 



Frequently we find branches that tell a story 

 of poverty and woe most plainly. Here is a 

 tiny twig that grew in the shadow. It is small 

 and weak. It did not have enough to eat or 

 drink. Probably it could not even breathe 

 freely. It was crowded and jostled all season. 

 It made a very short growth and scarcely in- 

 creased at all in diameter. A most unhappy 

 little twig in the midst of others that fairly 

 shouted freedom and independence! Verily 

 want and plenty, misery and happiness, exist 

 side by side, even in the realms of the tree 

 tops! 



Their trail is a pathway of tragedy and cun- 

 ning, for always there is battle and murder in 

 the heart of the buds. And the survival is to 

 the fittest here, as in any other walk of life. 

 Each leaf bud set on the twigs is a branch in 

 miniature. Naturally it opens with high hopes 

 to become a leafy shoot. Should all the buds 



