Witches Brooms on Trees 



529 



easily told, but there will remain, a great deal of interesting 

 and important detail to be discussed, and if possible explained. 

 The^ are usually the results of some bygone disturbance in 

 the economy of a shoot-producing bud, which caused the bud 

 to break up into several instead of continuing its onward 



Witches' Broom at the Top of a Conifer. 

 (From an original photograph given by Mr. W. Herridge.) 



growth as a single branch. The irritating influence which 

 produced this result was probably applied at a very early 

 period of the bud formation, w r hilst its development was but 

 little advanced. It may have been of quite temporary dura- 

 tion, but a change in the growth tendencies of the part 



