_Structurally, a dormant bud is a_ =shortened axis= _or_ =branch=, _bearing miniature leaves or flowers or both, and protected by a covering_. Cut in two, lengthwise, a bud of the horse-chestnut or other plant that has large buds. With a pin separate the tiny leaves. Count them. Examine the big bud of the rhubarb as it lies under the ground in late winter or early spring; or the crown buds of asparagus, hepatica, or other early spring plants. Dissect large buds of the apricot and pear (Figs. 137, 138). _The bud is protected by firm and dry scales._ These scales are modified leaves. The scales fit close. Often the bud is protected by varnish (see horse-chestnut and the balsam poplars). Most winter buds are more or less woolly. Examine some of them under a lens. As we might expect, bud coverings are most prominent in cold and dry climates. Sprinkle water on velvet or flannel, and note the result and give a reason. =All winter buds give rise to branches=, _not to leaves alone_; that is, the leaves are borne on the lengthening axis. Sometimes the axis, or branch, remains very short,—so short that it may not be noticed. Sometimes it grows several feet long. [Illustration: FIG. 139.—LEAF-SCARS.—Ailanthus.] _Whether the branch grows large or not depends on the chance it has_,—position on the plant, soil, rainfall, and many other factors. The new shoot is the unfolding and enlarging of the tiny axis and leaves that we saw in the bud. If the conditions are congenial, the shoot may form more leaves than were tucked away in the bud. The length of the shoot usually depends more on the length of the internodes than on the number of leaves. =Where Buds are.=—_Buds are borne in the_ =axils= _of the leaves_,—in the acute angle that the leaf makes with the stem. When the leaf is growing in the summer, a bud is forming above it. When the leaf falls, the bud remains, and a scar marks the place of the leaf. Fig. 139 shows the large leaf-scars of ailanthus. Observe those on the horse-chestnut, maple, apple, pear, basswood, or any other tree or bush. [Illustration: FIG. 140.—TERMINAL BUD BETWEEN TWO OTHER BUDS.—Currant.] Sometimes two or more buds are borne in one axil; the extra ones are =accessory= or =supernumerary= buds. Observe them in the Tartarian honeysuckle (common in yards), walnut, butternut, red maple, honey locust, and sometimes in the apricot and peach. If the bud is at the end of a shoot, however short the shoot, it is called a =terminal bud=. _It continues the growth of the axis in a direct line._ Very often three or more buds are clustered at the tip (Fig. 140); and in this case there may be more buds than leaf-scars. Only one of them, however, is strictly terminal.