412 On forcing Fruit-Trees to bear, Sc. 
trees, which already were in blossom, for the purpose of pro- 
ducing, by that means, larger fruit than usual. This was not 
his own invention, but, as far as I recollect, derived from a 
French journal. Thirty years ago, when lwaea boy, I practised 
this operation, in imitation of him,-and thereby obtamed larger 
pears and plums. In repeating this operation of ringing the 
branches, which I did merely for the purpose of getting larger 
fruit, | pio that the branches so operated upon ahvays bore 
the next year. By this reiterated appearance | was led to the 
idea, that ee ii this mode of ringing the bark might be a 
means of compelling every unproductive branch to vield fruit. 
With this view, I cut rings upon a’ considerable number of 
branches, which as yet showed no blossom; and found by re- 
peating the experiment the truth of my supposition indisputably 
confirmed by experience. 
The application of this experiment, whereby upon every bough 
or branch fruit may artificially be produced, is very simple and 
easy, and the mode of proceeding as follows. 
With a sharp knife make a cut in the bark of the branch 
which vou mean to force to bear, and not far from the place 
where it is connected with the stem, or, if it be a small branch, 
or shoot, near to where it is joined to the larger bough; the cutis 
to go round the branch, or to encircle it, and to penetrate to the 
wood. A quarter of an inch froin this cut, you make a second 
cut, like the first, round the branch, sO that, by both encircling 
the branch, you have marked a ring upon the branch, a quarter 
of an inch broad, between the two cuts. The hark between 
these two cuts you take clean away with a knife, down to the 
wood, removing even the fine inner bark, which immediately lies 
upon the wood ; so that no connexion whatev er remains between 
the two parts of the hark, but the bare and naked wood appears 
white and smocth. But this bark-ring, which is to compel the tree | 
to bear, must be made’at the right time, that is, when in all 
nature the buds are strongly swelling or are breaking out mto 
blossom. In the same year a callus is formed at the edges of 
the ring, on both sides, and the connexion of the bark, that had 
been interrupted, is restored again without any detriment to the 
tree, or the branch operated upon, in which the artificial wound 
soon again grows over. 
By this simple though artificial means of forcing every fruit- 
tree, with certainty, to bear, you obtain the following important 
advantages : 
1. You may compel every young tree of which you do not 
know the sort, to show its fruit, and decide sooner, whether, 
being of a good quality, it may remain in its first state, or re- 
quires to be grafted. 
2. You 
