292 SOME SPECIFIC ADVICE 



by girdling in my case was not enhanced, as a whole, in 

 any material degree, and being in possession of all the 

 conditions for ascertaining the after-effects upon the vine 

 and its roots, I decided to continue the operation no fur- 

 ther, but to watch the results in the season of 1891. As 

 the spring opened there was no noticeable difference in the 

 size or appearance of the canes, whatever their previous 

 treatment. It was observed that the buds on the vines that 

 had been girdled broke quite unevenly, that the clusters of 

 fruit -buds were smaller and the early growth of the new 

 canes less vigorous than with others. This state of affairs 

 was intensified as growth progressed, becoming more and 

 more apparent as the season advanced. While all were 

 entirely healthy, the vines which had been girdled in 1890 

 showed a decided lack of fruit and smaller and weaker 

 canes for fruiting in 1892. A favorable autumn made up 

 a part of this difference, and at the close of the season all 

 the vines looked well and the grapes were thoroughly 

 ripened. 



"In harvesting the crop I kept the fruit grown upon three 

 different plots separate. No. 1 had never been girdled, 

 No. 2 had had one-half of each vine girdled, and No. 3 

 both halves. From each plot 120 vines were selected, each 

 lot covering about 11,500 feet. All were contiguous and 

 fairly comparable with each other. After the leaves had 

 fallen, I measured with calipers the diameter of each new 

 cane of these 360 vines, 720 canes in all, at half their 

 length, three feet, from the trunk. 



"In the first column of the following table, 100 is assumed 

 as the product of average ungirdled vines. In the second 

 and 1&ird columns, the percentages of the half-girdled and 

 full-girdled vines, respectively, are given. The difference 

 between the whole amount of fruit and that denominated 

 first-class consisted of small and fragmentary clusters, 

 which could be disposed of only at inferior prices. The 

 quality of all the fruit was satisfactory. 



