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BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



3d, This was answered in connection with the first two, — 

 that the cut must be made wide enough to prevent immedi- 

 ate growing over, or the growth must be removed a second 

 or third time. 



4th, No change was noticed upon the parts below the 

 girdle, either in foliage or fruit. 



5th, Those vines girdled two seasons ago have retained 

 their vigor, and seem to be unaffected as far as the health of 

 the plants is concerned ; but a permanent effect was noticed 

 in the earlier ripening of the fruit. This in some cases was 

 nearly two weeks, as compared with those vines standing 

 beside them. This increased earliness might perhaps be 

 propagated with good results. What effect this hastened 

 development may have upon the seed cannot now be 

 determined ; but, in the production of new varieties, this, as 

 well as the effect of special fertilizers upon the seed, may 

 open a new field for investigation. 



6th, The practical application of this method may be 

 obtained, and at the same time keep the vines well supplied 



with perfectly healthy 

 matured new wood, by 

 growing, every year two 

 canes from each* spur, as 

 illustrated in Fig. 1. One 

 of these canes, B, is to be 

 cut back to two buds at 

 the fall or winter prun- 

 ing, while the other is left 

 for girdling : this cane 

 should be cut back to two 

 or three feet, according to 

 the strength of the vine, 

 or the number of canes 

 left for this purpose. The 

 cane is girdled at A, and, 

 after fruiting, is cut back 

 to E, leaving two canes, 

 C and D, for the contin- 

 ued treatment. 

 7th, Not having sold the fruit from the girdled vines sepa- 

 rate from that of the remainder of the vineyard, the increase 



«=::;.. 



Fig. 1. 



