OF PRUNING. 255 



actions, iii. 367, the following cases are reported. — In 

 a French Crab, the fruit, by ringing, was increased to 

 more than double the size, and the colour of it was 

 much brightened. In a Minshull Crab the size was 

 not increased, but the appearance of the apple was so 

 improved as to make it truly beautiful ; its colours, 

 both red and yellow, were very bright. In the Court- 

 pendu Apple the improvement was still more conspi- 

 cuous, the colours being changed from green and dull 

 red, to brilliant yellow and scarlet. Many others of a 

 similar kind are to be found recorded in books on hor- 

 ticulture. It is, however, by no means alone to the 

 maturation or production of fruit that this operation 

 is applicable ; it will, of course, induce also the pro- 

 duction of flowers, and it has occasionally been used 

 for that purpose, as in the Camellia. It is best per- 

 formed in the early spring, when the bark first sepa- 

 rates freely from the wood. 



This operation has, however, the disadvantage of 

 wounding a branch severely ; and, if performed ex- 

 tensively upon a tree, it is very apt, if not to kill it, 

 at least to render it incurably unhealthy ; for if the 

 rings are not sufficiently wide to cut off all communi- 

 cation between the upper and lower lips of the wound 

 they produce little effect, and if they are, they are 

 difficult to heal. For these reasons the operation is 

 but little employed, other means being used instead. 

 By some persons ligatures are made use of, and they ■ 

 would be preferable if they answered the purpose. of 

 obstructing the sap to the same extent as the abstrac- 

 tion of a ring of bark. In Malta, one of the objects 



