IV. EXPERIMENTS IN RINGING GRAPE 
nV GUNES. 
WENDELL PADDOOK. 
SUMMARY. 
Experiments in ringing grape vines were begun in 1896 and 
continued through two seasons. The first season the effect on 
the fruit of some varieties was very marked. Fruit on ringed 
vines of Empire State was not only larger in both bunch and berry, 
but began ripening 21 days before fruit of unringed vines. 
Other varieties did not show any gain in size or earlier maturing 
of the fruit whén ringed. 
The fruit of some varieties, as the Delaware, showed a lack 
of quality when ringed, while thin-skinned varieties, as the 
Worden, showed a greater tendency to crack when grown on 
ringed vines. . : 
The second season the effect of ringing was not nearly so 
marked thus showing that the season has something to do with 
results obtained. 
That the effect of ringing is devitalizing to the plant there can 
be little doubt, but when judiciously managed the cumulative ef- 
fect on strong growing varieties need not result disastrously. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Briefly stated, the operation of girdling, or more properly speak- 
ing, ringing, grape vines consists in removing a ring of bark from 
the bearing arm about an inch wide or wide enough so that the 
bark will not heal over the wood that has been laid bare. 

* Reprint of Bulletin No. 151. 
