CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 183 



virtue of the descending sap for the entire season. They 

 act upon the belief, that, the earlier the work is done, the 

 more manifest will be the results. But there is a limit. 

 If the ring is made too soon, the branch is very liable to 

 break or be seriously affected by the premature exposure 

 of its tender wood. In our dry climate, and for our vari- 

 eties, I should recommend delay until the young grapes 

 begin to stone. This is a stage in their growth when 

 they especially need additional stimulus. Where the 

 experiment is tried only to a limited extent, an ordinary 

 knife will do the work sufficiently well ; but, if the opera- 

 tion is to be performed to a considerable extent, it would 

 be an economy of time to procure a French tool expressly 

 adapted to the work. This is simply a pair of nippers, 

 with two knives at the jaw, at a suitable distance for the 

 length of bark to be taken out. When the jaw is closed 

 over a branch, a single turn of the instrument completes 

 the two circular cuts. If the knife is used, the work must 

 be done with boldness, cutting quite down to the wood. 

 The length of bark to be taken out should be at least 

 half an inch : some recommend the length to be an inch. 

 The least distance that will effectually check the descend- 

 ing sap is manifestly best. Mr. Thomas Weaver, a suc- 

 cessful English grape - grower, in communicating his 



