220 GROWTH OF TREES AND FORMING OF FRUIT BUDS 



be produced at an earlier age, and the trees would not receive 

 suc'h a general check in growth. 



On the same principle as ringing, if a notch is cut in the 

 twig below a bud, carbohydrates accumulate above the bud, 

 and a fruit bud generally forms. A notch cut above a bud, 

 thus decreasing carbohydrate accumulation and increasing 

 the supply of nitrogen in the bud, will force out a shoot from 

 that bud. 



Removal of Leaves Decreases the Carbohydrate Supply 

 aiid Reduces Growth. In case of such removal fruit-bud 

 foi'mation is also decreased, or, if differentiation has already 

 occurred before the defoliation, the development of the buds is 

 delayed, and they are often weakened. The removal of leaves 

 from a spur or from a lateral bud usually prevents the forma- 

 tion of fruit buds at these places. Thus each bud or spur is 

 more or less dependent for its carboh3^drates upon its own 

 leaves. No doubt there is some translocation of food ma- 

 terials, however, from one region to another in a shoot or 

 branch. It is known, for instance, that apples will develop 

 normally even though there are no leaves immediately adja- 

 cent to them. 



By Addition of Nitrogen, Tree Growth and Fruit-Bud PrO'* 

 duction Are Often Greatly Increased, In many orchards in 

 which groT\i:h has been checked by the lack of nitrogen, even 

 though an accumulation of carbohydrates has resulted, fruit- 

 fulness has not prevailed. Under such conditions remarkable 

 results are secured in growth and fruitfulness from the appli- 

 cation of nitrogenous fertilizers. When nitrates become avail- 

 able, the stored carbohydrates are utilized, new growth results 

 throughout the tree, the foliage becomes larger and greener, 

 and large numbers of fruit buds are usually formed. 



Great Importance of Water in Tree Growth and Successful 

 Fruit Groiving Cannot Be Overemphasized. The absolute de- 

 pendence of the tree^s welfare on water can readily be seen 

 from the fact that all soil nutrients must first be dissolved in 

 water before they can be taken into the plant. These soil 



