OF FRUIT TREES. 23 



or cut penetrate to the wood. A quarter of an inch 

 from this cut, make a second like the first, encircling 

 the branch like a ring a quarter of an inch broad be- 

 tween the two cuts. The bark, between these two 

 cuts, must be removed, clean down to the wood ; even 

 the fine inner bark, which lies immediately upon the 

 wood, must be scraped away, until the bare naked 

 wood appears, white and smooth, so that no connex- 

 ion whatever remains between the two parts of the 

 bark. This barking, or girdling, must be made at the 

 precise time when, in all nature, the buds are strongly 

 swelling, or about breaking out into blossoms. la 

 the same year a callus is formed at the edge of the 

 ring, on both sides, and the connexion of the bark is 

 again restored, without any detriment to the tree or 

 the branch operated upon. By this simple operation, 

 the following advantages will be obtained : 1. Every 

 young tree, of which you do not know the sort, is 

 compelled to show its fruit, and decide sooner wheth- 

 er it ma) 7 remain in its present state, or requires to be 

 grafted. 2. You may thereby, with certainty, get 

 fruit of a good sort, and reject the more ordinary. 

 The branches so operated upon, are hung full of fruit, 

 while others, that are not ringed, often have none or 

 very little on them. This effect is explained from 

 the theory of the motion of the sap. As this ascends 

 in the wood and descends in the bark, the above ope- 

 ration will not prevent the sap rising into the upper 

 part of the branch, but it will prevent its descending 

 below this cut, by which means it will be retained in 

 and distributed through the upper part of the branch 

 in a greater portion than it could otherwise be, and 

 the branch and fruit will both increase in size much 

 more than those that are not thus treated. The twist- 

 ing of a wire or tying a strong thread round a branch 

 has been often recommended as a means of making it 

 bear fruit. In this case, as in ringing the bark, the 



