198 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June 



induce fruiting, I made in 1875 an experi- 

 ment in an Apple orchard the trees of which 

 were backward in bearing. Early in May I 

 girdled alternate trees in the rows. The next 

 year these girdled trees seemed rather more 

 fruitful than were those not girdled. In 

 187H I treated similarly those trees which 

 had been slvipped the year previous. The 

 effect here was not so manifest. Some of 

 the trees fruited the fol- 

 lowing year, and some did 

 not. One variety — North- 

 ern Spy — has refused to 

 respond to this treatment, 

 even when twice girdled. 

 I have no further exper- 

 ience in this line, and do 

 not know whether the 

 girdling of fruit trees may 

 have always the same 

 effect as desired. I think 

 OirdHng with Wire, jj dggg ngt injure the 



tree. However, I am content, in this de- 

 partment of horticulture, to let nature man- 

 age her own business. 



WM. C. STRONG, OF MASSACHUSETTS, TELLS HIS 

 EXPERIENCE. 



The process of ringing Grapevines is prac- 

 ticed extensively for the purpose of increas- 

 ing the size of the fruit, and also for hast^ 

 ening its maturity. There can be no ques- 

 tion that both these ob.iects are secured to a 

 marked degree. The berries are usually in- 

 creased in size at least 35 per cent, and the 

 time of ripening is hastened from ten days 

 to a fortnight, or more depending upon the 

 season. With some varieties this point of 

 time determines very certainly the success 

 or failure of crop. 



The time for doing this work of ringing 

 is soon after the setting of the fruit, when 

 the berries are about of the size of Peas. 

 It consists in the entire removal of about 

 three-quarters of an inch of the bark of a 

 branch at a point about three to six inches 

 below the clusters of fruit. The object of this 

 girdling is to allow the ascending sap to pass 

 upward through the pores of the wood, 

 while descending sap is arrested and its nu- 

 tritive matter retained above for tlie fruit. 

 The effect is very noticeable in tlie enlarge- 

 ment of growth above the cut, and a corres- 

 ponding diminuation below. 



The effect of this process upon the size and 

 earliness of the fruit has been stated. The 

 flavor has been unfavorably influenced. 

 But this change has not been to an extent 

 sufficient to be noticed in the markets. 



The effect upon the vine is unquestionably 

 injurious. Any disturbance of free circula- 

 of sap tends to weaken. But there are all 

 degrees. My opinion is that a moderate and 

 judicious practice of this art might be fol- 

 lowed for years with very slight injury to 

 the vine, and with advantages tor some late 

 varieties. As the annual renewal cane sys- 

 tem is now becoming so popular, the danger 

 of cutting short the supply of descending 



however, that any material advantages 

 could be secured , as in the case of the Grape. 

 Neither could the injury resulting from the 

 disturbed circulation be so well guarded 

 against as in the case of the Grape, by the 

 renewal system. 



PROF. 8. T. MATNARD, OF MASSACHUSETTS, GIVBB 

 HIS EXPERIENCE. 



I have practiced girdling more or 

 less for many years to test its value in a 

 scientific and economical way. The numer- 

 ous experiments made in the college vine- 

 yard lead to the following results: 



1. No injury to the vines girdled has ever 

 been detected, even where the girdle 

 was made on the main trunk near the 

 ground. 



3. The time of ripening is generally 

 has tened by one or two weeks. 



3. Careful sugar tests show no injury 

 to the quality of the fruit. 



4. The fruit was larger, more beauti- 

 ful and sold for from three to five cents 

 per basket more than that from ungir- 

 dled vines. 



5. The best time to perform the work 

 has been found to be early in July. 



6. For reasons of economy of the forces 

 of the vine, only a part of the cane of 

 each vine should be girdled and only 

 those that are to be cut away. 



7. Annual arms should be grown for 

 the purpose of girdling to bear the fruit, 

 and a few unbearing ones fruit for spurs the brazil tree tomato 



would do very satisfactory work. The 

 two blades should be set about 3-16 of an 

 inch apart. 



Some one has suggested a knife and cleaner 

 made like pruning shears, with blades side 

 by side, and cleaner to follow the cut. Here 

 is a chance for some inventive genius. 



MR. E. WILLIAMS OP N. J., NOT IN FAVOR OF 

 OIRDLINO. 



You ask me for what purpose, if any, 

 can ringing or girdling of Grape vines 

 be recommended? Answer: for the grati- 

 fying of one's curiosity and vanity, and per- 

 petrating a fraud. When and how should 



See Preceedlng Page. 



to produce the canes for next year's girdling. 



8. The best results were obtained when 

 the ring of bark taken out was from one- 

 eighth to one-quarter of an inch wide, ac- 

 cording to the size of the cane girdled. 



9. Good results were obtained when wires 

 were twisted about the canes, but only when 

 twisted very hard vrith pincers. For this 

 purpose about No. 20 annealed was used and 

 the work done late in Jime. 



10. From our experience we believe that 

 girdling will result in profit to the vine- 

 yardist, and in much pleasure to those who 

 are growing choice late Grape varieties. 



In our practice we have worked out a 

 method of girdling that may be applied to 

 any system, but is most satisfactory where 

 one cane is allowed to grow ungirdled on 

 one side of the vine, but not permitted to 

 grow fruit, while the cane of the previous 

 year has been girdled and is producing fruil . 



In our illustration a represents the cane 

 that is to bear the fruit, while b is the spur 

 made by cutting the girdled cane off. The 

 girdle should be made three or four (2 or 3) 

 buds from the main cane or arm so as to in- 

 sure enough good buds for a good cane. 

 After fruiting the girdled cane is cut back 

 to a spur, and the opposite cane is allowed 

 to bear. By this system there can be no 

 possilUe fear of injury to the vine. 



The wire must be twisted so as to almost 

 cut into the wood, and if the vine is growing 

 slowly, no very marked results will follow, 

 but if they are growing very fast, or if the 



Prof. Maynard^s Plan of Tr 



nutriment for the root is much diminished. 



Girdled fruit should not be allowed to 

 compete with natural fruit at exhibitions. 

 It should be judged by itself. 



The principles in girdling will doubtless 

 apply to other fruits, with limitations, de- 

 pending upon the character of the wood and 

 the fruit. In this direction I have not ex- 

 perimented. It does not seem probable. 



•ainina the Vine for OirdUng. 



wire is given about all the twist it will bear 

 without breaking, it will be found almost as 

 effectual as the knife. 



We had a knife made from one solid piece 

 of steel, but it was not properly made, and 

 did not do as good work as one made in the 

 same form of thin steel might. I think if 

 two pieces of thin knife steel were riveted 

 to the cleaner point a in illustration, it 



it be done? Answer: After the fruit has 

 arrived at the standstill during the forma- 

 tion of seed. It is done by removing a sec- 

 tion of bark from the bearing or fruiting 

 cane, for one half to one inch in length below 

 the clusters to be affected, i. e. between 

 them and the trunk of the vine. If the sec- 

 tion removed is less than J^ an inch, new 

 bark will sometimes bridge over the chasm, 

 and thus defeat the object in view. A wire 

 or stout cord wound tightly around the cane 

 will sometimes have the same effect. I have 

 seen canes bent over a wire till the weight 

 of the cane and fruit beyond had gradually 

 broken the tissues of the wood and com- 

 pressed them so tightly as to entirely obstruct 

 the flow of sap which answers the same 

 purpose as girdling. The effect is obvious. 

 The sap ascends as usual but its return flow 

 is stopped at the girdled point. Here it 

 accumulates, backs up, and finds its way to 

 clusters in the immediate vicinity. As a 

 consequence they get and have to provide 

 fora larger share than they otherwise would. 

 Owing to this excess of sap the fruit 

 becomes greatly enlarged; it is forced to 

 color and ripen earlier, but its quality is 

 much impaired. The flavor is deficient and 

 the juice thin and watery. While in New 

 York two years ago a commission merchant 

 called my attention to some remarkably fine 

 Delaware Grapes. They were certainly fine 

 in appearance, but the merchant added: 

 " They are good for nothing; they have no 

 flavor." As it was early in the season for 

 Delawares to ripen normally in the region 

 from whence they came, I suggested that 

 probably the vines had been girdled in order 

 to get them in early. This was afterward 

 verified. I explained to him the effects of 

 the process and the object sought, which he 

 denounced more emphatically than politely, 

 and which the grower, could he have heard 

 them, would have been at no loss to under- 

 stand. I wish he could have witnessed the 

 chagrin and mortification of the merchant 

 when a customer, after tasting a sample of 

 the superb looking fruit, spit it out, turned 

 on his heel and walked away in disgust. No 

 reputable merchant desires to handle such 

 fruit, or to deceive his customers with it, and 

 no honest fruit grower will practice such 

 fraud. I am sorry to admit, however, that 

 this dishonest practice prevails to a large 



