THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE 



OCTOBER, 1837. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Rino-ing Fruit Trees; with a notice of some Results 

 foiloivin<r its'' application to the Pear Tree, discovered hy JM. 

 Fan Mons, of Brussels. By A. J. Downing, Botanic 

 Garden and Nurseries, Newburgh, N. Y. 



Ringing {incision annulaire, of the French,) is a well known 

 operation, occasionally performed upon fruit trees, both with a 

 view of inducing fruitfulness, and of hastening the maturation of 

 fruits. The practice is one of very ancient origin, but was re- 

 vived among the moderns by Du Harnel, who published the re- 

 sult of his very successful experiments in the Memoire de V Acad- 

 emic des Sciences, for 1778. Since that period it has been in a 

 considerable degree resorted to in England, to force the produc- 

 tion of blossom^buds on sterile fruit trees, and to hasten the pe- 

 riod of ripening of fruit already formed, as well as to increase 

 its size. When practised for the former purpose, the operation 

 must be performed in the spring; but when it is intended that the 

 effect shall be produced upon the fruit of the current year's 

 growth, the incision should be made when the branch is in flower. 



Ringing is easily performed at the proper season, when the 

 vegetable juices are in full flow, by passing a knife completely 

 around the branch twice, and taking out a complete circle of 

 outer and inner bark, not, however, larger (from a half to three 

 quarters of an inch,) than the tree can easily replace in two or 

 three years, as otherwise it would lead to the premature death 

 of the branch. Although much practised by amateurs, ringing 

 has scarcely proceeded upon any certain rules until of late, and 

 we have recently been highly pleased to learn, by the Mnals of 

 the Paris Horticultural Society, that the eminent pomologist of 



VOL. III. NO. X. 46 



