{4 TREES OF THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES 
BRANCHING.—The regular place from which a branch 
grows is the azil of a leaf, from what is called an azillary 
bud ; but branches cannot grow in the axils of all leaves. 
A tree with opposite leaves occasionally has opposite 
branches; while a tree with alternate leaves has all its 
branches alternate. 
Most branches continue their growth year after year 
by the development of a bud at the end, called a terminal 
bud. Many trees form this 
bud for the next year’s 
growth so early in the 
year that it is seldom or 
never killed by the winter 
weather; such trees grow 
very regularly and are 
symmetrical inform. Most 
evergreens are good ex- 
. amples. Fig. 3 represents 
" agood specimen. The age 
, of such trees, if not too 
great, can be readily ascer- 
tained by the regularity of 
each year’s growth. The 
tree represented is sixteen 
Fig. 3. years old. The branches 
that started the fifth year, about the age at which regular 
growth begins, are shown by their sears on the trunk. 
The terminal buds of many trees are frequently killed 
by the frosts of winter; such trees continue their growth 
by the development of axillary buds; but as growth from 
an axillary bud instead of a terminal one will make a 
branch crooked, such trees are irreyular in their branch- 
ing and outline. Just which axillary buds are most apt to 
grcw depends upon the kind of tree, but trees of the same 
variety are nearly uniform in this respect. Most trees are 
therefore readily recognized by the form of outline and 
the characteristic branching. A good example of a tree 
‘ 
