Individual shoots either from the same or from different trees vary considerably in their total N content. The highest value for bark is 35% and for wood 50% higher than the respective lowest values. The shoots collected in 1927 are similar in their variability to those collected in 1928. The shoots collected from different trees do not vary any more than those collected from a single tree. The bark and wood from green shoots are lower in their total N content than that from brown shoots, which shows that the differences in the physiological conditions of the shoots may in part explain the variations in their total N content. A sample of about 35-40 shoots is required to assure the odds of 142:1 that the true value lies within [plus or minus] 5% of the observed value.