296 SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



(3) That the buds of the peach are in clusters of three, 

 not on spurs, but Ijdng close against the twig, the middle 

 one of each cluster being a leaf bud while the other two 

 are fruit buds. 



By studying Figures 127-129, or better still the twigs 

 themselves, you will see that not all varieties of fruit buds 

 are borne on wood of the same age. There is always 

 a set of rough rings, or wrinkles, separating each year's 

 growth on a twig from that of the year before ; and by 

 beginning at the tip and counting the sections, or divisions, 

 between these rings, you can easily determine the age of 

 any portion of the twig or branch. 



EXERCISE 61 



Object. — To learn the form and position of fruit buds 

 and the age of the wood upon which they appear. 



Procedure. — Secure a branch or twig three feet or more 

 in length of a cherry, peach, plum, apple, or other fruit tree, 

 and lay it on the desk or table before you. 



Examine it carefully for the rough rings, which separate 

 the wood of different years' growth. Then point out the 

 fruit buds and note that they are usually plumper, as 

 well as grayer or darker in color than the leaf buds, while 

 the leaf buds, which lie along the twig, are usually rather 

 pointed in comparison with the fruit buds. 



CondiLsion. — Describe carefully in your notebook the 

 color, form and position of both the fruit buds and the leaf 

 buds, and state the age of the wood upon which the fruit 

 buds appear. 



Make a drawing of the twig to show this. 



Put your twig in a vase or glass of water so that the buds 

 may open. 



The fruit of the grape is borne on wood, or canes, of the 

 same season's growth as the fruit itself, — not on the wood 



