The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-17
Artificial Fruiting Of Trees.

A tree or plant may be made more
fruitful in three different ways. First,
extra food and cultivation will induce
fruitfulness by supplying surplus of
alburnum which changes what would
otherwise be leaf-buds into fruit-buds.
Everybody is supposed to understand
this method, and it needs no comment.
Second, when the vitality of tree is
injured it will Immediately make an eff
fort to reproduce itself by seed. Of
this method there are many minor
forms or variations. Thus, greenhouse
men cramp the roots of their plants in
small pots to produce an extra large
number of flowers. Orchardists some
times bore holes in the trunks of trees
that are making strong growth of
wood but do not produce fruit. Nails
are driven into the trunks, and root
pruning by deep cultivation is also
practiced for the purpose of forcing
trees to fruit, all of which will be sue
cessful if done at the proper time, but
if continued too long or employed too
freely they will ultimately destroy the
tree. When tree or plant receives an
injury shortly after the young shoots
have commenced to grow, the growth
will be stopped, while there is still n
quantity of crude and prepared sap in
the body of the tree and branches.
There is thus a surplus which will
change leaf-buds into fruit-buds. The
third method is the principal one and
consists in a particular stoppage of the
alburnum from being deposited as new
wood, so that the surplus thus formed
may be diverted to forming fruit
buds. After the bulk of the crude
sap has assembled into the leaves
and been assimilated or changed into
alburnum it is then distributed into the
different parts of the tree, portion to
form new wood. a portion to support
and mature the fruit, if there should be
any, and the remainder, if any, to
form new fruit-buds. Now, when all,
or nearly all, this prepared sap is taken
to form new wood there will be no
fruit, but if we by any means prevent a
portion of this sap from being deposited
as new wood there will be a surplus
which will force fruit-buds into exist
ence. These means must be used
when, or shortly before, the greatest
amount of alburnum is being deposited
and shortly before the proper time for
fruit-buds to form, or else there will be
nothing but a plentiful crop of suckers,
latent leaf-buds being rushed into
shoots. The minor forms or variations
of this method that are most successful
and most generally used are binding a
cord or wire tightly around the tree
that is desired to have fruit; Mr.. Spauld-
ing's method of girdling, ''but not dis
barking" simply cutting through the
bark around the tree or branch, ''some-
times more than once" Just below the
point you wish to be fruitful, and prun-
ing and cutting back the young shoots.
These will answer the purpose, and
when properly done will never injure
the tree. Disbarking will not injure q
tree if done just as the greatest amount
of alburnum is being deposited, unless
this new wood is scraped or dried by
excessive heat. Where incisions are
made in the bark they should be made
Immediately below the part we wish to
fruit, as it is the prepared sap that we
wish to divert, not the crude.-Saa
francisco Chronicle.