INVESTIGATIONS AT THE COLLEGE 67 



fruit. The results of this investigation led to the fol- 

 lowing conclusions : 



The best results were secured when the cut was made 

 between July 1 and August 1, and kept open by a sec- 

 ond or third removal of the healing growth. If the first 

 cut is made at least one-half inch wide, this second or 

 third cutting may not be necessary, as it will not heal 

 over so rapidly. No change was noticed hi the vine or 

 fruit below the point where the girdling took place. 

 Vines girdled two years before retained their vig- 

 our. The only permanent effect noticed was the earlier 

 ripening of the fruit from such vines. As the price 

 obtained from grapes early in the season is several 

 cents per pound higher than that received later, and 

 as the grapes matured some two weeks earlier on the 

 girdled vines, the practice was considered a profitable 

 one. The grapes showed an increase in size over those 

 grown on ungirdled vines, and were of practically the 

 same chemical composition. 



Experiments conducted to determine which of the 

 buds those nearest the main canes upon new wood, 

 those in the middle of the canes, or those at the ex- 

 tremities would produce the best bunches of grapes, 

 showed that the bunches of grapes from the different 

 buds were of nearly the same size. 



Second Paper. Experiments with special fertilizers 

 in fruit culture. (Agriculture of Massachusetts, 1884.) 

 The paper begins with a short discussion of the desir- 

 ability of studying the composition of fruits with a 

 view of ascertaining the relations existing between the 



