When we open buds and examine their inner structure, or, 
better still, watch them opening of themselves in the spring, we 
find that some contain only small foliage leaves, others nothing 
but flowers, still others both leaves and flowers. We call these 
different kinds leaf-buds, flower-buds (or fruit buds) and mixed- 
buds. Buds which contain leaves only are very common, and may 
be found on shrubs and trees, as well, as on many other plants. 
Buds containing flowers only, are to be found very commonly on 
early spring-flowering plants, such as the alder, cottonwood, and 
dogwood, or on fruit trees, such as the apple, peach, and cherry. 
Mixed buds, however, as will be seen on the horse-chestnut, maple, 
lilac, apple, and pear, or, in fact, on most late spring-flowering 
plants, are thicker and stouter than others. 
Besides studying the internal structure of buds, it is interest- 
ing to note their varying positions, especially those of shrubs and 
trees. One of the first things which strike the attention is the 
regularity of occurrence of buds. It is true that after cutting off 
some tree trunks, such, for example, as a willow, adventitious buds 
(so called because the} 7 are borne irregularly), spring from the 
top, or almost anywhere along the stem, or even the roots. But 
the regular place of occurrence is either on the ends of the 
branches, when they are called terminal buds, or on the sides of 
the branches, when they are called lateral, or auxiliary, buds. 
The latter term comes from the fact that these lateral buds are 
borne above the leaf, in the “axil” (armpit), or angle formed by 
the leaf-stalk and the stem on which it is borne. If we look in 
the axils of leaves during the late summer or fall, we shall 
find the buds quite readily; frequently only one, sometimes several 
in each axil. One looks for them in vain, however, in the plane 
tree, sycamore, or in the locust, or the honey-locust, while the 
leaves are still on, for the buds of these trees are covered up and 
protected by the bases of the leaf-stalks. The sycamore has an 
especially interesting arrangement, for the base of the leaf-stalk 
is hollow, and covers the conical bud until autumn, like a tiny 
candle extinguisher. In the locust, the buds are very rudimentary, 
and are found best during the winter or spring underneath the 
corky bark which covers the leaf-scar formed when the leaf falls. 
As stated above, buds occur regularly in the axils of leaves: 
therefore, the buds are arranged like the leaves. When the leaves 
fall off in the autumn, the buds are more clearly seen, just at or 
above the scars left by the leaves. Some plants, like the lilac, 
have their buds in pairs, opposite each other; more often they 
occur singly in a spiral arrangement around the stem. 
When the little shoots push out from the winter buds in spring 
time, the bud-scales, now no Ibnger needed, fall off. Just as in 
