Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-05-22
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FRUIT TREES.

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"An easy. simple, and initlliole method to force
everv Fruit free to blossom, and TO bear Fruit"
Of this hgay important and interesting pamph-
let We present the lovers Of horticulture with
Translation from the Cernan.--Nat. Gaz
In my early years | saw my father who
was fond Of promology and skilled in
that science, cutting a ring on several
branches Of trees, which already were
in blossom, for the purpose of producing
by that means larger fruit than usual.
This was not his invention, but, as far
as can recolect, derived from a French
Journal Thirty years ago, when was
a boy, | practised this operation, IN i'm
itation of him, and, thereby obtained
large pears and plums' In repeating
this operation of ringing the branches,
which | did merely for the purpose
of getting largar fruit, | observed that
the branches go operated upon always
bore the nest year. BY this reiterated
appearance | was led to the idea, that
perhaps this mode of ringing the bark
might be means of compelling every
unproductiye branch to yield fruit. With
This view, | cut rings up on consdera
Bile number of branches, which as vet
showed no BOSOM, and found, by re-
peatng the experiment, the truth of my
superstition indisputably confirmed by
experience.
The application Of this experiment,
whereby upon every bough or branch,
fruit may artiflCially be produced, is very
simple and easy, and the mode OF pro
ceeding as follows;
With a sharp knife make cut in the
bark of the branch, which you mean to
force to bear, and not far from the place
where it is joined to the larger bough;
the cut is to 90 round the branch, or to
encircIe it, and to penetrate to the wood.
A quarter of an inch from this cut, you
make second cut, like the first, round
the branch, SO that by both encirclng
the branch, you mark ring upon the
branch, a quarter of an inch between
the two cuts. The bark between these
two cuts you take clean away with the
knife, down to the wood, removing even
the fine inner bark, which Immediately
lies upon the wood 80 that no cODnex-
ion whatever remains between the two
parts of the bark. but the bare and ma
ked wood appears white and smooth.
But this bark ring, which is TO compel
the tree to bear, must be made at the
right time that is when in all nature
buds are strongly swelling or breaking
out into blossoms. In the same year
callus is formed at the edges of the ring
on both sides, and the conuexion OF the
bark, that had been interrupted is restor
ed again without any detriment to the
tree, on the branch operated upon, IN
which the artificial wound soon again
grows over.
BY this simple, though artificial means
Of forcing every fruit tree, with certain
ty to bear you obtain the following i'm
portant advantages.
/. You may compel every young tree.
of which you do not know The sort TO
show it, fruit. anu decide sooner, wheth-
er, being Of good quality, it may re-
main It's first state, or require to be
Epfted.
You may thereby. with certainty,
get muit of every good sort. OF which
you wish to see the produce, in the next
year.
5. THIS method may probably serve to
increase considerably the quantity OF fruit
in the country.
ihe branches so operated upon are
hung full Of fruit, while the others that
are not ringed often have nothing, or
very little on them. This effect is easy
10 be explained from the theory of the
motion Of the sap. For when the sal
movessslowly in the tree, it produces
fruit buds, which is the case in old trees
whe n it moves vigorously the tree forms
wood, or runs>into shoots, as happens
with young trees.
Though Iarrived at this discovery mY.
self, in consequence Of trying the same
to increase only the size OF the fruit
but not to force barren bra 'ches thai
were only furnished with real buds, to
bear this latter application being before
quite unknown to me; will on that &C
count. by no means, give myself out for
the first inventor Of this operation, but
was ignorant of the effects to be produ.
ced by this method, and only discovered
them by repeated experiments of my
own, which l maze lot inc promotion
of pomology. Frequent experience of
the compietest success has confirmed the
truth of my observations Nor do |
think that this method is generally
known; at least to all those to whom /
showed tie experiment the effect produ-
ced appeared new and surprising. At
all events, the method, surprising it to
he an-in,nlfinn of older date. has as fAr