STUDIES OF TREES IN WINTER 



terminal buds, and the general shape too com- 

 pact to be pleasing. The buds and recent 

 shoots are particularly interesting however, as 

 every scar is sharply defined and the buds are 

 so large we can see the inner structure per- 

 fectly. In the accompanying illustration we 

 see a two-year-old shoot with a large terminal 

 bud and two lateral buds below the rincj of 

 scars left by the scales of the terminal bud of 

 the year before. The bundle-scars are plainly 

 seen on the leaf-scars, and above one of the 

 leaf-scars there is a lateral bud ready to develop 

 into a lateral branch when it opens in the 

 spring. The circle of scars at the base of each 

 lateral shoot was left by the scales of the 

 lateral bud of the year before. There are one 

 or two small undeveloped buds at the top of 

 the leaf-scars which would carry on the growth 

 of the branch if anything happened to injure 

 the vigorous buds at the tips of the stems. 

 The dots on the bark are the lenticels. By , 

 opening the bud with a knife we find beneath 

 the sticky gummy substance and the numerous 

 layers of scales a complete branch in miniature. 

 The little leaves are carefully packed in downy 

 wool to keep out the dampness and cold, and 

 in their turn they protect the delicate pink 

 spike of flowers. A German naturalist once 



i6 



