RINGING FRUIT TREES. This operation has long been known as a means of inducing fruitfulness and increasing the, size of the fruit on the particular/branch operated on. At one time it was extensively practiced on the grape vine. The fruit sometimes under this system will attain great size, but lacks in flavor, the texture of the fruit is coarse and the skin thick, and as formerly practiced it resulted usually in the subsequent death of the branch. The opera tion consisted in cutting out a ring of bark, more or less wide up to a quarter of an inch, down to the wood but not into it, since this will certainly kill. This arrests the flow of sap, checks too active inflorescence, and favors the setting and subsequent growth of the fruit. Roots are sometimes so acted upon,'to induce the formation of fibrous roots. The modern application of this system of increasing fruit fulness, under expert hands has been found to be very successful, and not injurious to the tree. The system is advocated by such practical men as Messrs. Turner, Spalding, and Weir, of Illi nois. We have operated successfully on shy bearers, like yellow bell-flower, and without final injury to the tree. Trees of any bearing size are girdled just before the season of inflor escence, especially those varieties that blossom and yet are inclined to shed the Jruit. In some
cases a fine saw is driven carefully just through the bark, but not so as to injure the wood. Gen erally a ring of bark is carefully excised with a sharp knife, varying in width from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in width, and sometimes the wound is protected from the air by wrapping. In other cases strips of bark are left to connect the upper and lower portions of the bark. Some times a section is taken half round the tree on one side and a little above, another half round on the other side. Again a simple incision is made about the tree with a sharp knife, down to the wood, aud again another, or not, as the case may be, a little above, allowing the upper cut to run to nothing when it meets the first incision next the wood. If the ringing is done in June, or when the tree is in its full elabora tion of sap, the wood will invariably heal. In fact there are numerous instances of the bark being maliciously stripped from trees at this sea son even up to the branches and without subse quent injury. The practice, however, is dan gerous, and will kill if the succeeding weather is hot and dry; even ringing is not to be com mended except under the direction of one expe rienced in the performance, and sufficiently well versed in horticulture not to err.