CHAPTEE V. 

 Winter Study of Trees. 



MANY of the peculiarities of trees can be studied much 

 better during the winter and early spring than at any 

 other time of the year. The plan of branching, the posi- 

 tion, number, size, form, color, and surface of buds, as 

 well as the arrangement of the leaves within the bud and 

 the peculiarities of the scales that cover them, are points 

 for winter investigation,. 



GENERAL PLAN OF BRANCHING. There are two dis- 

 tinct and readily recognized systems of branching. 1. The 

 main stem is excurrent (Fig. 3) when the trunk extends as 

 an undivided stem throughout the tree to the tip; this 

 causes the spire-like or conical trees so common among 

 narrow-leaved evergreens. 2. The main stem is deliques- 

 cent (Fig. 4) when the trunk divides into many, more or 

 less equal divisions, forming the broad-topped, spreading 

 trees. This plan is the usual one among deciduous trees. 

 A few species, however, such as the Sweet Gum and the 

 Sugar-maple, show the excurrent stem while young, yet 

 even these have a deliquescent stem later in life. The 

 English Maple and the Apple both have a deliquescent 

 stem very early. 



All the narrow-leaved evergreens, and many of the 

 broad-leaved trees as well, show what is called definite 

 annual growths ; that is, a certain amount of leaf and 

 stem, packed up in the winter bud, spreads out and hard- 

 ens with woody tissue early in the year, and then, no 

 matter how long the season remains warm, no additional 

 leaves or stem will grow. The buds for the next year's 



