620 Report of the Department of Horticulture of the 



and discolored and dropped several weeks earlier than that from the 

 check trees. 



In the spring of 1913 the 10 living trees started growth at about the 

 same time as the checks. Growth was slow and as the season ad- 

 vanced more dead bark appeared where the ringing had been done. 

 Towards the end of the summer 4 more trees died. The remaining 

 6 made such a poor growth that they were discarded at the end of the 

 season. Very marked difference existed in the size of the ringed and 

 unringed trees, the latter being one-third larger and making a rapid, 

 vigorous growth. The roots of the ringed trees were poorly developed. 

 At the beginning of the test the trees were all of equal size and similar 

 to trees of the same age in the best commercial plantations. All 

 received the same treatment. No fruit had been borne previous to 

 the time of ringing. In 1913, however, both lots of trees bloomed in 

 about equal proportions but no fruit set upon any of them, due, 

 possibly, to the self-sterility of this variety. 



RINGING PLUMS AND CHERRIES. 



Almost no work seems to have been done upon the ringing of stone 

 fruits. In general, drupes come into bearing earlier; are not as hardy; 

 are less resistant to external injuries; and are shorter lived than pomes. 

 The primary object of ringing these stone fruits was to determine in 

 what degree they could withstand the injury, as it was hardly to be 

 supposed that there would be a favorable effect in inducing or stimu- 

 lating fruit-bearing. 



Early in June, 1912, 12 Montmorency cherry and 12 Bradshaw plum 

 trees, four years from planting, were ringed one inch wide at the base 

 of their trunks. No difficulty was experienced in the removal of the 

 bark and, like the pomes, the woody cells were covered with succulent 

 cambium. Twelve trees of each variety in the same block were left 

 as checks. At the same date 20 standard varieties of plums 15 years 

 from setting were ringed. These trees were in an orchard of about 

 40 varieties all of the same age and receiving the same attention. 

 Rings one inch in width were taken out. Four trees were ringed upon 

 their trunks just above the ground. On the remaining 16 trees the 

 largest branches were ringed close to their union with the trunks. 

 All of the trees were strong and vigorous and free from insects and 

 diseases. During the first few weeks after the ringing the cambium 



