302 Report OF THE HorTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 
might be varied with these and other species and give some- 
what different results. But the deleterious effects of the treat- 
ment were so marked on several plant organs, and especially 
the root system, that it is extremely doubtful whether varying 
the method of ringing, on these species at least, could have 
given widely different results. 
It is shown by most of the experiments in ringing woody 
plants that there is considerable loss in the economy of several 
plant organs; there is, however, with the apple and grape among 
woody plants some compensating gain in other organs, chiefly 
the fruit. Why is there not such a compensating gain in 
herbaceous plants? This is a question for the plant physi- 
ologist. Meanwhile it does not seem that in practice the fruit 
grower is finding the ringing of plants, except in rare cases, 
a valuable orchard or vineyard operation. The gains scarcely 
offset the losses. The investigation here recorded shows that 
the loss in the root and leaf systems in particular of herbaceous | 
plants is most severe. Is it not more than likely that there is 
a similar loss to these organs in woody plants, thereby account- 
ing for their decrease in vigor? 
