286 
centages for twigs must be more variable than those of 
the fruit, on account of the greater variability of the ma- 
terial, but the exact figure was not determined. 
The difference in the amount of water in branches mak- 
ing different rates of annual growth is admirably shown in 
the accompanying table. All the material was selected from 
several large pear trees standing in the garden, and differed 
in no important way except as modified by slow or rapid 
growth. The old spurs were the product of several, proba- 
bly many, years of continuous healthy growth, having 
elongated less than an inch each year, and were somewhat 
branched. The other lots were composed of the total 
growth of the previous year only, one lot containing twigs 
DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE IN TWIGS OF BUFFUM PEAR. 







| were o( ¢ x 
a cm Of oS] © Raid 
| & so IE SS] & | 2 
= Pee ed > ange 2x 2 @ 
Date. KIND OF BRANCHES. | | 8 is) oa] 22 | eo 
mo | wo ee Se] Be 
‘o © iol Sig  E > Oo 
| De Pre ties er < 
(| 30.1 |16.33) 7] 4.1 | 45.8 
Jan. 14 Spurs of several years’ growth. < 30.41/16.2 | 6) 4.8 | 46.7 46.2 
24.1 |13. | 5) 52] 46.1 
| ( 7.79} 3.91) 9! 3.3 07 | 
‘‘ Short twigs of previous year. . < 5.68) 2.8 | 6) 8.5 | 50.7> 50.4 
/ 8.3 | 4.1.) 7 4. | 50.6 
45.4 |21.38) 2:22. | 52.9 
‘«  |Long twigs of previous year. .. } 41.8919.6 | 2.21.9 | 53.2 53.3 
45.6121.1 | 224.9 | 53.7 


not exceeding four inches, and the other those reaching 
nearly two feet. The amount of water in each is shown to 
be directly proportional to rates of yearly growth. This 
result is all the more marked as the determination was 
made in the dead of winter when the water in the plant is 
approximately at an equilibrium ; the differences must be 
much more prominent during the period of active growth. 
The significance of the observation is the more apparent 
when the difference between the extremes is compared with 
the greatest differences obtained between the varieties under 
like conditions. 
EXTREME VARIATION OF THE PERCENTAGE OF WATER IN THE PEAR. 


Jan. 
& April. | July. July. | Aug. 
Feb. 



& 
Twigs.| & Twigs.| Fruit | Fruit. 
flow’rs. 

ee, | ee) 



Like parts from several varieties...... .............. 3.2 51 3.6 | 4.5 
Shoots of the same trees). eke ses eae n ble ULC de de eo sthn Uae aes tee ae oe eee 
