THE DIAGONAL CORDON. 39 



formation of leaf buds instead of flower buds ; 

 while an accumulation of these fluids produces 

 flower buds. In a leaf-bud the leaves are highly 

 developed, and their axis has a tendency to elongate 

 as soon as stimulated by heat and light. In a \ 

 flower-bud the leaves are in an imperfect state, / 

 (which is called calyx, corolla, stamens and pistil) ) 

 and the axis has no tendency to elongate. Hence 

 a flower-bud is a contracted branch. It is, there- 

 fore, easy to be seen that so long as the fluids of ^ 

 a tree circulate rapidly, and without interruption, 

 only leaf-buds (i.e. undeveloped branches) can be / 

 formed. But if the motion of the fluids be Ian- ( 

 guid, and the parts are formed slowly, flower-buds, 

 which are contracted by nature, and have no dis- j 

 position to elongate, only will appear." 



For these reasons, most sound as they are, the 

 Diagonal Cordon, which is now to be described, 

 appears the best adapted to unite the conditions ( 

 of fertility with due attention to the necessity of 

 extension. In other words, this Cordon grows \ 

 and bears well. As will be seen, the term " Dia- 

 gonal " means leaders one or more, but generally 

 three trained against walls at an angle of 65 

 degrees -during the first year, and at an angle of 

 45 degrees during the succeeding years. The 

 reason why the trees are first planted at the 

 angle of 65 degrees, is that otherwise the shoots 

 on the upper side would grow faster than those 

 on the lower, and that they would injuriously 



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