204 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



With fruit gathered September 20, the result was : 



From girdled vines. From ungirdled vines. 



Moisture, 83.00% 84.69% 



Ash, .42 — 



Sugar, 8.13 6.24 

 Soda solution* required 



to neutralize acid 85.4 c. c. 75.0 c. c. 



With fruit gathered October 1 : 



From girdled vines. From ungirdled vineSw 



Moisture, 82.69% 84.51% 



Ash, .37 .53 



Sugar, 8.50 6.09 

 Soda solution* required 



to neutralize acid 50. c. c. 48. c. c. 



In reference to the above analyses, Professor Maj-nard adds r 

 " This is the same result as was obtained years ago in our experi- 

 ments on the college grounds, and with Dr. Fisher's judgment as 

 to the selection of fruit, and Dr. Goessmann's analysis, I feel 

 that we can claim to have settled the question of qualit}' of girdled 

 and ungirdled grapes." Girdling in no way disfigures the vines, 

 or requires an}" change in the present method of pruning and 

 training, as the practice is to grow each year new canes for the 

 following year's fruiting, and the girdling is confined to the fruit- 

 ing canes, which are cut awaj- clean at the end of the season, 

 leaving no trace of the previous year's girdling. 



It has been the oflF year for the apple crop, and as usual it has- 

 been small and more unevenly distributed than usual. Some 

 parts of the State, notably a large portion of Worcester County^ 

 have had hardly an}- crop at all. 



Pears have been unusually large and fair, especially some 

 varieties, among which, the Seckel and Bosc were conspicuous. 

 The display of fruit at the Annual Exhibition, as a whole, was 

 good, though not so evenly distributed as usual, owing to the 

 peculiarity of the season. In some classes it was small, while m 

 others it was exceptionally large and fine in appearance. 



At the October and November Exhibitions of Autumn an<i 

 Winter fruits, there was a strong competition for the prizes for 



• 1 part Sodium Carbonate to 100 parts water. 



