By Joseph Sabine, Esq. 



129 



branches of a Pyrus spectabilis ; those which were ringed 

 produced, last spring, abundance of splendid flowers, which 

 were succeeded by ripe fruit ; and they are now again full of 

 blossom buds, the other branches shewing little promise of 

 bloom. 



In addition to the above, I can state, that one branch of a 

 Passiflora alata, in Messrs. Loddiges' stove, was ringed in 

 June 1818 ; in two months after it produced flowers : it also 

 did the same abundantly last year, whilst another branch, 

 that remained unringed, was entirely unproductive in both 

 seasons. Mr. George Loddiges, in giving me this ac- 

 count, mentioned, that he had tried the same experiment 

 with other Passifloras, and with some stove plants, but that 

 he had not succeeded. His failure may probably, in some 

 cases, be attributed to his having made the rings too nar- 

 row ; in the soft-stemmed plants which he ringed, the bark 

 would reunite very rapidly, and if the separation is not 

 kept open sufficiently long, the desired effect will not be 

 produced. 



VOL. IV. 



S 



