HORTICULTURE. 37 



Ringing' herbaceous plants, U. P. Hedrick, O. M. Taylor, and K. Welling- 

 Tox (Xcir York State Sta. liul. 288, pp. 193-209, figs. .J).— This bulletin reports 

 experiments in ringing 2 herbaceous plants, the tomato and chrysanthemum, 

 which were selected because their i)roduct and manner of growth should show to 

 advantage the effects of ringing. 



Some general considerations are given on the objects of ringing woody plants 

 and the theory upon which ringing is founded, and the present experiments 

 with herbaceous plants are described and discussed in detail. 



The tomatoes were trained to a single stem and were ringed in the winter of 

 l!»Or>-G. The tirst group was ringed when the second cluster of. fruits had set, 

 and the second grouji when the fourth cluster had set. The plants in the third 

 group were unringed. The ringing consisted of removing a g-in. strip of bark, 

 cutting through to the woody tissue. As the result of this experiment it was 

 found that the height of the stems were not affected, but there was a tendency 

 toward the thickening of the whole stem above the wound. Ringing had no 

 effect upon the time of maturity, color, or flavor of the fruit. The average num- 

 ber of fruits per plant was reduced 18 per cent by the tirst ringing and 10 per 

 cent by the second ringing, and the average loss in weight per plant attributed 

 to the tirst ringing was IG per cent, and to the second ringing 12 per cent. 

 During the first ringing there appears to have been a gain of 0.06 oz. in the 

 average fruit, although in the second ringing a loss of 0.05 oz. is noted. The 

 foliage of the ringed plants was more or less abnormal, and the roots were less 

 developed, fewer in number, and smaller in size. 



Several varieties of chrysanthenuims were treated in the same manner in the 

 autumn of 190G. The first group was ringed just as the buds appeared, and the 

 second when the buds were one-third grown, the interval between ringings being 

 about 2 weeks. In this case ringing decreased the height of the plant. The 

 first ringing appeared to hinder the opening of the buds in all the varieties 

 except one, and the second ringing to slightly hasten the maturity of all except 

 one. The size of the blossoms of all varieties was reduced, and the earlier the 

 ringing the greater the injury. Ringed plants produced almost no suckers. 

 The foliage and roots of the plants suffered in the same manner as with the 

 tomatoes. 



From the results secured, the authors conclude that it is very doubtful if 

 ringing can be made beneficial to herbaceous plaijts. the loss to the plant being 

 great, with little or no compensating gain. 



Ringing detrimental to tomatoes and chrysanthemums, F. H. Hall {tieio 

 Yor/,- Stdtr Sta. Bid. 288, popular rd., pp. .'/). — A popular edition of the above. 



In order to have artichokes the greater part of the year, R. Beziat {Jar din, 

 21 (1907), Ao. Ji82. pp. 00-92). — This article contains directions for the culture 

 of the globe artichoke in various regions of France, together with varieties rec- 

 ommended for each. 



Some attempts in the grafting of Solanums, E. Griffox [BiiI. .S'oc. Bot. 

 France. .53 {190(i), Ao. 9, pp. 699-70'i, pi. 1). — In order to make personal obser- 

 vations as to the influence, if any, of the stock on the graft and vice versa, the 

 author made several grafts, including the potato on the tomato, the tomato on 

 the potato, the tomato on the egg-plant, the egg-plant on the tomato, and Solaniun 

 laciniatitni on N. nviperiini. Stocks of the p.irent plants were grown side by side 

 with the grafted plants, under the same condition of soil and culture. 



As a result of these exi)erlments fhe author concludes that no variations took 

 place either in method of gntwth. form, or sliap(> which would indicate any 

 jntlm-uce of the stock on the graft, or reciprocally, but that the variations which 



