The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-04-29
Nature Study.
MRS. STEVENS NATURE STUDY LETTERS.
XII The Opening Of the Buds:

responses from the roots and quick.
ening seeds; the rocks and bark of
trees have a breath and q perfume"
When the partridge drums, when
the shad start up the rivers, when
the grass grows green in the quiet
pools, when the buds burst forth
from their soaly GOATS, these are
tokens Of spring.
THE BUDS WERE MADE LAST SEASON
but so snugly were they packed
away in their warm coats and so
closely did they cling to the twig
that they we're passed by all un.
noticed. The bud was not only
ready formed but ready fed. Starch
was stored up in the twig enough to
supply the buds for this spring time
activity, but before the starch can
nourish the bud, 1t is changed to
sugar and passes as sap through the
developing twig.
1t is an excellent practice to collect
winter tWigs of different kinds of
trees and bushes and to compare the
form and color of the shoots, the
size, shape, color and makeup of the
buds. What part of the twig grew
last yearP Notice the ring at the
base of last years growth. Are all
the buds equally advanced OF the
twig? Are the buds all equally ad-
vanced in all parts of the tree? Com
pare the opposite sides with the top
and bottom of the tree. Do all of
the buds of the tree developP What
is the location of those that remain
dormant? Is there any advantage
TO the plant in having dormant buds?
DIFFERENT GLASSES OF BUDS.
AS TO position in the twig those
buds at the end of the twig are called
terminal buds, those arranged along
the side are lateral. Auxiliary buds
are those in the leaf axil that is in
the upper angle between the leaf and
the stem. Accessory buds T some
times clustered about the axillary
buds. Adventurous buds often de-
velop when the regularly arranged
buds are destroyed.
AS TO activity buds are active and
dormant. Active buds develop,
dormant buds ordinarily do not.
Destroy the active buds of a twig
and note the effect upon the dor
mant buds.
AS to covering, buds are scaly
when they are covered with dry,
tough bark like layers. They r
called naked buds when they are
without this scaly covering. Some.
times buds are hidden under the
bark, then they are hidden buds.
AS to arrangement when there r
two buds at the same node and OPP
posite they are called opposite. They
are whorled when there are three or
more arranged around the same
node. Alternate buds are in ranks
hIOnS bA0 S60m AO5 OCAAS OpPOS40O
or whorled.
AS THE BUDS UNFOLD
The unfolding of the bud is not
the same process in all trees. In the
peach for example, the bud begins
to swell at the top, the scales open
the white lining appears. Soon the
lining opens. It may be a flower
that we next see or it may be a green
shoot.
There are, then two kinds of buds,
the leaf bud and the flower bud. Can
you tell them apart? The flower
bud is thicker and rounder. Usually
one flower bud stands on each side
of the leaf bud. AS the bud expands
the flower or leaf appears, the bud
scales drop away. The scales leave
scars and these scars standing TO-
gether make a ring. Do you see that
this ring marks the beginning of the
new growth?
If you will observe the pear bud
you will note that the scales elongate
as the buds swells. You can gee the
white bases of the scales, marking
the new growth. Eventually these
scales drop off but they cling much
longer than the scales of the peach
bud.
The hickory twig Is an interesting
one to observe. The leaf scars T
very large. The terminal end is
much the larger and stronger. 1t is
the one which will grow. The other
hnda will ramain dormant nnlaaa