Pruning. 265 



(cl) By obstructing the growth current. This is ac- 

 complished by ringing (416 g), by notching (416 h) 

 and by peeling the stem (72). 



When ringing is practiced, the width of the belt of 

 bark removed should usually not be so great that the 

 wound cannot heal over the same season by the callus 

 formed on the upper edge of the ring (79), and it must 

 be made sufficiently early to give time for healing. A 

 wider ring will sometimes heal if the ringing tools are 

 not inserted deeper than the cambium layer (80). In 

 the grape vine, in which ringing is often practiced to 

 increase the size and earliness of the fruit, the width 

 of the belt removed is less important, since the canes 

 that have borne fruit are generally removed in the 

 annual pruning. But in fruit trees, the belt of bark 

 removed should not much exceed one-eighth inch in 

 width. Simply cutting through the bark with the 

 pruning saw often accomplishes the desired end v 



Notching above or below a bud or twig affects it much 

 as ringing affects the entire ringed member. Notching 

 below a bud or twig, therefore, checks its growth, and 

 is often followed by fruiting in that part. 



Peeling the stem has sometimes been practiced to 

 make barren trees fruitful (72). It is a hazardous 

 operation at best, and should only be used as a last 

 resort. It is accomplished by making two cuts around 

 the trunk, usually several inches apart, and just 

 through the bark, with one or more vertical cuts be- 

 t \\ven them, after which the bark between the circular 

 cuts is carefully peeled off. It should only be per- 

 formed during a period of very rapid growth, and at 



18 



