382 REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THB 
upon the trellis, This was done after the leaves began to 
appear but before the blossoms opened. ; 
It is hoped that other tests may be made in which the opera- 
tion of girdling or bending may be performed before the buds 
break, but this has not yet been done. After this work was 
started it was learned that ringing Zante grape vines is prac- 
tised by the Greeks to promote setting of fruit, uniformity of 
bunch and increased size of berry.! A narrow ring of bark 
1K” to 14” wide is taken from the trunk when the fruit is setting. 
In a short time the bark grows over the incision. In our own 
work a similar plan was followed so far as the ringing of the 
cane is concerned. About three weeks before the blossoms 
opened some fruiting canes of certain varieties chosen for the 
experiment were girdled by removing a ring of bark 14” to 14” 
wide between the first and second nodes. At the same time 
certain other canes on corresponding vines of the same varieties 
were either tied so as to lie horizontally upon the trellis wire 
for about one-fourth of their length, then bend sharply and 
follow the next wire in the opposite direction, or were twisted 
at about one-fourth their length by being wound twice around 
the wire as tightly as possible without breaking them. Ten 
days later the clusters had developed enough so that the work 
of covering them with manilla paper bags was done. The blos- 
soms had not yet begun to open at that time. At a suitable 
time when the blossoms were opening the clusters which were 
to be tested for self-fertility were cross-pollinated according to 
the method described on p. 273, or once, at least during the 
blooming season were shaken up thoroughly, without opening 
the bags containing them, for the purpose of mixing the pollen 
among the blossoms of the clusters. ‘Where the former method 
was followed the clusters chosen to supply the pollen were, in 
all cases, produced on eorresponding bent or girdled canes of 
the same variety, and often were borne on the same vine as 
the cross-pollinated clusters. They had been likewise inclosed 
in bags before blooming to prevent admixture of foreign pollen. 
Clusters thus treated will be hereafter referred to as “ cross- 
pollinated,” which signifies only that they were supplied with 
1Garden and Field (Australia), cited in Pac. Coast Fruit World, May 24, 1901. 
