436 FUNDAMENTALS OF FRUIT PRODUCTION 



matures during late summer or in early fall. Thus DanieP^ reports 

 a marked increase in size of the fruits of the tomato and egg-plant from 

 ringing; Paddock,^" Bioletti*^ and Husman-'* have reported a similar 

 increase in grapes. On the other hand Howe^^ found no increase in 

 size of fruit in ringed apples, pears, cherries and plums, though he reports 

 other late-season effects in the earlier maturity of fruit and a much 

 earlier dropping of the foliage Paddock^^ likewise has reported an 

 earlier maturity of grapes borne on ringed shoots, an earliness sometimes 

 amounting to as much as two weeks. It has been noted frequently 

 that grapes borne on ringed shoots contain relatively less sugar and more 

 acid^^ or are somewhat poorer in quality^ ^ than those borne on untreated 

 shoots. 



In the section on Fruit Setting ringed shoots of the grape and of 

 certain other fruits are mentioned as setting in many cases a larger per- 

 centage of their blossoms than those not treated in this way, if the opera- 

 tion is performed just previous to the opening of the flowers. Seldom is 

 the difference great enough to make the operation worth while for this 

 purpose. A few varieties of the grape, however, without such treatment 

 grow so vigorously that they set but little fruit and with them the opera- 

 tion should be performed annually. Thus in the Fresno (California) 

 Experiment Vineyard 12-year-old ringed Panariti grafts on 10 different 

 resistant stocks averaged 7.5 tons per acre during 1917 and 1918, while 

 unringed vines on the same stocks and under the same conditions aver- 

 aged 2.3 tons per acre.^^ 



From the data presented here and in the section on Nutrition it 

 is evident that the concentrating influence of ringing, stripping and 

 related practices depends not alone on their effects on new vegetative 

 growth, leaf area and food manufacture, but also on food utilization. 

 In turn the utilization of the elaborated foods that are synthesized in the 

 shoot beyond the point of ringing depends on the available water and 

 nutrient supply. If the soil is comparatively dry and low in nitrates, the 

 effect of ringing or related practices may be quite different than with an 

 abundant supply of both moisture and nutrients, because the products 

 of synthesis beyond the ringed point may be utihzed in an entirely 

 different manner. This factor has received very little consideration and 

 it must be properly evaluated before any ringing operation can be per- 

 formed with certainty of its effects on either fruit bud formation or on the 

 development of fruit. Inadequate consideration of this factor has caused 

 much apparent contradiction and uncertainty in the results attending this 

 group of practices. 



In at least one respect there is general agreement among those who have 

 employed ringing, stripping or other operations to check the transfer of 

 food. They all report a tendency to check the growth of the plant during 

 later years and thus have a dwarfing influence. This is proportional to 



