60 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND THE FARMER : 



into flower, but this method is too expensive to be practised on a 

 large scale. For the last four years, therefore, the Institute has 

 been investigating the practice of " ringing," which consists in 

 removing a narrow ring of bark from the main stem of the tree. 

 Under this treatment the growth of all the shoots of the tree 

 above the ring is checked ; consequentl}^ many buds that would 

 other\\dse have formed twiggy shoots make short spurs crowned 

 with flower buds. Another result from " ringing," to which 

 attention does not hitherto appear to have been paid, is observed 

 below the ring, where buds which would otherwise remain dormant 

 are stimulated into growth. This observation has led to the 

 development of a method by which dormant buds in any position 

 on the tree ma}^ be forced into growth. It is well known that 

 many varieties are in the habit of producing considerable stretches 

 of bare wood, which may now be remedied by making a knife- 

 edge " ring " around the shoot immediately above the dormant 

 area. These results are of direct practical importance, and enable 

 the fruit-grower to increase in a simple and inexpensive manner 

 the number of fruit buds on trees which have hitherto been defi- 

 cient in that respect. The practical aspect of the investigation 

 is now approaching completion, but many suggestive points have 

 been raised during its course, and they appear sufficiently promis- 

 ing to justify its continuance and extension. 



Experimental work on pruning is in progress both at Long 

 Ashton and East Mailing. At the former Institute, the possi- 

 bilities of summer pruning have been explored, and particular 

 attention has been given to the Lorette system of pruning advo- 

 cated on the Continent. The experience of the past five years 

 has shown that considerable modifications are necessary to enable 

 growers under English conditions to secure maximum results 

 with least expenditure. It has now been possible, as the result 

 of the investigations on various factors influencing fruit bud 

 formation, to formulate a scheme of treatment designed to replace 

 the somewhat indefinite methods of pruning hitherto practised, 

 and promising to give the grower a very great measure of control 

 over the crop-producing capacity of his trees. 



At East MaUing the work is confined to endeavouring to im- 

 prove established methods of winter pruning through a detailed 

 study of the habits of growth of different varieties, and has 

 reached a sufficiently advanced stage to be referred to in more 

 detail. The experiment had its origin in a \4sit paid to the Station 

 by a number of Kent fruit-growers about six 3'ears ago. They 

 found that the methods of pruning adopted in various districts 

 differed widely, and wished the Station to conduct comparative 

 trials. A 3-acre plantation of trees of 15 commercial varieties^ 



