eg TKANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



A Voice. — Will the wounds heal as well when made in April as in 

 June? , 



Mr. Spalding. — No, sir ; they will heal in June quicker than at any 

 other time of the year. 



Mr. Murtfeldt. — Some one made the remark that "we want a little 

 more pepper." I'll throw in a little. This process has been known for 

 many years as an attack upon the life of the tree. Of course the tree 

 will not always die at once, but it at once attempts to do the next thing 

 to it, bear fruit; but it certainly cannot be as healthy and long-lived as 

 though its life had not been aimed at, and it had been let alone. I hope 

 this Society will be cautious as to what encouragement or indorsement it 

 gives such things as this. 



Prof. Turner. — When I was a boy and lived on my father's farm in 

 Massachusetts we had some Roxbury Russets that would not bear. We 

 girdled them and it set them to bearing and did not seem to injure them; 

 since I came to Illinois I have practiced it more or less on apple and pear- 

 trees \ it works well. I have tried it also on grapes, but it does not seem 

 to do so well. I girdled the Northern Spy every other year. 



Mr. Murtfeldt. — Why on every alternate year? 



Prof. Turner. — Because I wanted to change the time of bearing — 

 wanted to make them bear regular crops every year instead of alternating. 



A Voice. — How did it work? 



Prof. Turner. — All right for a while, but they soon fell back into 

 their old habits, and I let them go. 



A Voice. — How did you girdle? 



Prof. Turner. — I cut with a saw around the tree, through the bark, 

 being careful not to injure the wood. As I said before, the grape-vines 

 that I tried were injured by the treatment. I believe that all the trees in 

 the country could be safely stripped from branch to the ground, in June, 

 if protected from sun and wind and kept moist. 



Mr. Wier. — There is where /want to put in some-pepper: It will 

 not kill the tree. 



Mr. Minkler. — Do you do your girdling in spring, and does it 

 affect the fruit that year ? 



Prof. Turner. — I girdle in June, but no result in fruit occurs until 

 the following year. 



Mr. Ragan (of Indiana). — I think we should be cautious about recom- 

 mending this girdling; I have girdled in order to get large fruit, but the 

 life of the tree is jeopardized by the process; trees will bear largely the 

 first year after, poorer the next, and so down the scale. Nourishment is 



