Transactions of the Hortiadtnral Society. 289 



" During the formation of the cordons, the spurs on their 

 arms will successively come into bearing, and each when 

 pruned down at the season to two or three eyes, will produce 

 as many shoots with fruit. Of these, at the next winter's 

 pruning, only the lowest shoot is to be suffered to remain, 

 and that at the same time is to be cut back to one, two, or 

 three eyes, according to its strength. The eyes at the bottom 

 of the spurs are very small and much crowded, there are at 

 least six within the space of one sixth part of an inch; when 

 the spurs are cut to the length of one or two inches, these 

 small eyes are robbed by those above them ; but when the 

 spurs are cut short immediately above these eyes, they then 

 break, develope themselves, and produce good bunches. Of 

 this the vignerons of Thomery are well aware ; they never 

 leave their spurs more than one inch long, and sometimes 

 less: by which means they always keep the bearing wood at 

 home ; and extraordinary as it may appear, spurs that have 

 borne for twenty years are no more than one inch long. 

 Should more than two shoots break from a spur, all above 

 that number are suppressed, and not more than two bunches 

 are left on each of these, for a moderate crop of good grapes 

 proves of greater value than a more abundant crop of inferior 

 quality. When the space of walling allotted to the five 

 cordons is completely occupied, about 8 ft. square or 64 

 square feet are filled, and the produce calculated on is 320 

 bunches ; for each arm being 4 ft. long, and furnished with 

 spurs 6 inches apart, the two arms will carry 16 spurs of two 

 eyes each ; and allowing two bunches to every eye, each tier 

 or cordon should bear 64 bunches, the number on five 

 cordons will consequently amount to 320. 



" This precise length of 4 ft. to each arm has been deter- 

 mined by experience to be the fittest; the vignerons found 

 that when the arms were left of a greater length, the spurs in 

 the centre gradually declined, and good bunches were pro- 

 duced only at the extremities of the cordon; but when 

 reduced to 4 ft., the spurs on the whole length were perfect, 

 their eyes well filled, and the bunches of fruit fine and well 

 swelled. 



" Training in cordons after this manner affords these 

 additional advantages ; every portion of the wall is equally 

 furnished with bearing wood, and when once the cordons are 

 completed, the pruning and training becomes so uniform and 

 simple that it may be intrusted to any intelligent workman. 

 But what renders this practice of still greater value in this 

 country is, that the fruit on these small spurs always ripens 

 earlier than on the stronger 'wood. 



Vol. V. — No. 20. u 



