154 
through tlie cortex and liber without wounding the alburnum, 
that the descent of that portion.of the sap, which has undergone 
preparation in the leaf is obstructed and confined in the branches 
situate above the incision ; consequently the fruit is better nou- 
rislied and its maturation hastened. It is certainly a consider- 
able point gained in the culture of the vine, to be able to bring 
the fruit to perfection, by a process so simple and so easily per- 
formed.” 
“ I think that this practice may be extended to other fruits, so 
as to hasten their maturity, especially Figs, in which there is a 
most abundant flow of returning sap ; and it demonstrates to us, 
why old trees are more disposed to bear frait than young ones. 
Miller informs us, that the vineyards in Italy are thought to 
improve every year by age, till they are fifty years old. It 
therefore appears to me, that nature in the course of time, pro- 
duces effects similar to what I have above recommended to be 
done by art. For, as trees become old, the returning vessels do 
not convey the sap into the roots, with the same facility they 
did when young ; thus by occasionally removing circles of bark, 
we only anticipate the process of nature ; in both cases a stag- 
nation of the true sap is obtained in the fruiting branches, and 
the redundant nutriment then passes into the fruit. I have 
sometimes found that after the circle of the bark has been re- 
moved, a small portion of the inner bark has adhered to the 
alburnum ; it is of the utmost importance to remove this; 
though ever so small, otherwise in a vei’y short space of time, 
the communication is again established with the root, and little 
or no effect produced. Therefore in about ten days after the 
first operation has been performed, I generally look at the part 
from whence the bark was removed, and separate any small 
portion, which may have escaped the knife the first time.” 
To the cultivator of Vines on open walls in England, and 
there are but few persons who occupy a house in the country 
but may cultivate the Vine, the practice here detailed appears 
most important. Mr. Williams found that when he had taken 
off a ring of bark of unnecessary width from the trunks of his 
Vines, his success, in regard to the fruit, w as complete, but that 
his Vines were less vigourous in the following spring. This 
would be expected ; but as the same effect may be produced by 
ringing the branches, no such inconvenience would be likely to 
