New York AgricutturaLt Exprriment Station. iit 
The effect sought in ringing is to produce earlier ripening of 
the fruit and larger bunches and berries. The explanation of this 
effect on the fruit is readily found when the movement of the food 
within the plant is understood. The food materials taken in by 
the roots pass up through the outer layers of wood to the green 
parts of the plant. Here new material for growth is formed and 
the portion that is not needed by the leaves and other green parts 
passes downward, for the most part through the inner bark, to be 
be distributed wherever it is needed. The wood is not disturbed 
in the process of ringing, therefore the upward movement of the 
solutions is not interfered with; but since the downward passage 
takes place through the inner bark the flow is arrested when it 
arrives at the point where the bark has been removed. Conse- 
quently the parts of the plants that are above the point where the 
ring of bark has been removed receive more than a normal supply 
of food, which tends to produce increase in size and earlier ripening 
of the fruit. | 
It will be seen that the food that passes into the ringed arms is 
mostly lost so far as building up the plant itself is concerned, 
hence the operation must result in a drain on the plant’s vitality. 
However, in localities where ringing’ is extensively practiced, vine- 
yards are freqently pointed out that have been ringed 10 or 15 
years in succession and are still yielding paying crops. Growers 
have learned to do the work intelligently. For instance, where the 
vines are grown on the two-arm Kniffin system the ring of bark is 
commonly taken from both arms just beyond the fifth bud. It 
has been found that the ten buds that are left to the vine produce 
enough leaf surface to supply the food necessary to keep the vine in 
a vigorous condition, providing the vineyard has received proper 
care. Where the four-arm Kniffin system is used some growers 
ring the two top arms only, leaving three or four buds on each 
for renewal. The two lower arms, it is claimed, will bear as good 
fruit as adjacent vines that have not been ringed. With the 
