FIGURE 1 EXPLAINED. 35 



now requires notice. Taking figs. 1 and 2 of peach spurs, — 

 A indicates the original spur ; B the right shoot ; C the left 

 shoot ; D the right shoot which has developed another one, 

 and E the natural fruit-spur. 



Fig. 1. — Here, on the spur A, the right shoot has grown 

 by successive starts (as seen by the divisions) upwards. The 

 little elbow above B is that part of the shoot which was left 

 beyond the last hud pinched down to, and often dries up rap- 

 idly. Two triple buds appear on the second growth, which 

 are to be carefully left. They will be found in fig. 2, as devel- 

 oped into two new shoots marked there B and D. But at 

 present the shoot is to be cut back to them, and failing them, 

 to two leaf-buds for wood shoots. Never cut, by any means, 

 to single flower-buds, because there should always be a leaf- 

 bud at the extremity of every part, no matter where or of 

 what strength. In a triple bud the central one is a leaf-bud, 

 and the other two flower-buds, and thus it unites every neces- 

 sary qualification. 



The left shoot in fig. 1 is also seen. The second growth 

 has, or may not have, its two triple buds ; most likely it will, 

 because that is the place to look for them, and pinching-in 

 helps much to this important end. Then, higher up, appear 

 the third and fourth growths, the former having a neat little 

 lateral, which is far more likely to be fruitful than a powerful 

 shoot. These latter shoots, called "gourmands" by the 

 French, were the bane of the old systems, and do what you 

 would, if on the upper side they always would come. In 

 vain they were cut back; in vain they were twisted and 

 pinched off; the least neglect produced a vigorous shoot, like 

 a leading branch, just where it should not be. Of course the 

 sap rushed with tenfold violence into these enticing corners, 

 and of course the gardener did not see it, and then, by the 

 winter, the rest of the branch was languid and feeble, and 

 the tree spoilt. But in this system all this is rendered nuga- 

 tory ; there is little or no danger of this occurring. • Instead 

 of this giant, we see a neat little fruitful shoot, which, 

 crowned with an appropriate bud, is very like a natural fruit 

 spur. 



