RINGING GRAPES 291 



ready to follow. The average price which the girdled 

 grapes sold for during this time was but very little higher 

 than that the main crop commanded. Concord here is not 

 early enough to compete with grapes raised farther south, 

 and it brings quite as good prices later. 



"An important circumstance forced itself upon my atten- 

 tion about this time. Upon these vines, half of which 

 had been girdled, it was found that the fruit upon the un- 

 girdled arm colored and ripened very slowly. It was so 

 far behind that [of vines not treated, and so general, that 

 the conviction could not be avoided that the girdling of 

 one -half of the vine had correspondingly retarded the 

 ripening on the other half. So prevalent was this tardiness 

 that the crop of the average vine as a whole was less val- 

 uable than where girdling was not practiced. A little later 

 it was found that upon those vines that had both arms 

 girdled, where a few clusters remained upon the central 

 shoots not treated, these clusters did not ripen so as to be 

 of any value. They remained red and very sour to the 

 end. This was the point where light began to show 

 through. I had by the operation of girdling been simply 

 transferring the nutritive pabulum that would naturally 

 have gone equally to all parts of the vine to a portion only. 

 The vine possesses in its sap sufficient material, if natur- 

 ally elaborated, to ripen its entire crop, but if one part of 

 it is caused to receive an excess, there must be a corre- 

 sponding deficiency elsewhere. Another idea was suggested: 

 whether it were possible for girdled vines to mature and 

 ripen their roots so as to be in condition to furnish a crop 

 the following year. It might be that as the bearing vine 

 was all cut away at the fall pruning, there would be no 

 use for the corresponding roots [if there are such!], as they 

 would die under any circumstances. The new or renewal 

 cane was not girdled, and its particular roots might not be 

 affected by the girdling of the other parts of the vine. 



"Having determined that the gain in value of the crop 



