616 Report of the Department of Horticulture of the 



had received any setback in the season's growth. All were vigorous 

 and had made considerable new growth. Table I shows the number 

 of bearing trees and the percentage of a crop per tree for the years 

 1910 and 1911. 



Table I. — Effect of Ringing on Fruit Production of Apple Trees. 



These figures would seem to indicate that ringing, according to 

 theory, exerted a very potent influence in bringing the trees into bear- 

 ing and upon the fruitfulness of the trees. Manifestly, without 

 ringing and with the same climatic conditions a larger number of trees 

 would have fruited in 1911 than in the previous year, because of in- 

 creasing maturity; and the crop per tree would likewise have been 

 increased. Nevertheless, it is doubtful if such a marked increase in 

 the number of bearing trees and in productiveness would have oc- 

 curred, had not the setting of fruit-buds been stimulated owing to an 

 interruption of physiological functions. It may be well to state at 

 this point that since 1911 these trees have never yielded as large a 

 crop even with subsequent ringing. 



In the early part of June, 1911, 27 of the seedling trees which had 

 been ringed the previous year were again subjected to the removal of 

 a strip of bark one inch in "width directly above the former rings. 

 The bark peeled off from the wood this year with as great ease as it 

 had before. Within a few days new bark was seen to be forming from 

 the hardened cambium over the entire surface of every wound. At 

 the end of the growing season an entire, new coating of bark was 

 joined to the old upon either side of the ring. Apparently the trees 

 had suffered no ill effects from the ringing. All seemed to be in a 

 vigorous, thrifty condition and upon comparison with unringed trees 

 no difference could be found in the amount of growth. 



The 27 trees ringed produced in 1911 an average of 93 per ct. of a 

 crop per tree and in 1912, 43 per ct. From these figures the fact 



