32 THE APPLE-TREE 



would have produced probably forty to fifty flowers; per- 

 haps two or three good fruits would have resulted. Note 

 that two of the lateral branches or spurs are short and 

 weak: these would soon perish. The No. 2 branch has a 

 dead end (e) ; in some way the terminal bud was destroyed, 

 ■ and No. 1 sprang from a lateral bud beneath it, changing 

 the direction of growth. 



If No. 2 grew in 1919, then No. 3 grew in 1918. It 

 also grew about one foot in length, showing that the condi- 

 tions in the three years must have been very uniform. There 

 are remains of five dormant buds at its base. There are 

 seven side branches. As the main axis is three years old, so 

 these lateral shoots are two years old; they are the same 

 age as the axis No. 2. The lower one (s) grew less than 

 an inch in 1919, and made a fruit-bud ; in 1920 it blossomed 

 and one fruit set as is shown by the square scar at the end ; 

 as the scar is small and the twig weak, we are safe in 

 assuming that the apple was very small or else did not 

 mature. A bud formed at the side of .y to continue the 

 growth of the spur next year (1921), but it is a leaf-bud; 

 apparently there was not sufficient energy to bear flowers 

 and to make a fruit-bud ; so there would have been no more 

 fruit on this spur earlier than 1922 : thus do we see that the 

 alternate bearing of the apple-tree may have some of its 

 origin in the fruit-spur. 



The side spur / produced a terminal blossom-bud in 1919. 

 In 1920 six flowers opened, — I could count the scars. One of 

 the flowers produced a fruit, as I tell by the square scar at ' 

 the end ; the thickened stem also indicates fruit-bearing. 

 The side bud in this case is a fruit-bud, but it is small and 

 weak and is probably incapable of producing a fruit. There 

 are no strong leaf-buds to take up the work, and this 



