FRUITS. CHAP. 



the flagging buds out with a sharp pen-knife : you will 

 find a maggot in the heart, and will, of course, put an 

 end to its spoliations. This is another reason why 

 espaliers are better than standards : this work is easily 

 performed upon an espalier j but, on a standard, im- 

 possible. Sometimes you see the petals of the blossoms 

 curl up ; and there you find the maggot. It is better to 

 take one blossom out of the bunch at once ; for, if the 

 maggot remain, it will destroy the whole. We very 

 often see whole bunches of blossoms, leaves and all, 

 shrivel up suddenly : the maggot has done this, and is 

 gone before you perceived the mischief. The whole of 

 standard-trees are frequently nearly stripped in this 

 way : people call it blight 5 but, in general, appear to 

 know nothing of the cause. 



295. BIRDS. The way to keep birds from fruit, and, 

 indeed, from every thing else, is, to shoot them, or 

 frighten them away, or cover over effectually with nets 

 the object which they covet. I have spoken occa- 

 sionally of the care to be taken in this respect j but, in 

 all cases, where birds are very fond of the thing that you 

 have, you must keep them away, or give up the cultiva- 

 tion of the thing j for it is time and labour thrown away, 

 to raise things and then let them be destroyed in this 

 manner. There is one season when to defend yourself is 

 very difficult ; I mean the spring, when the birds attack 

 the buds. There are certain buds which the sparrows 

 will destroy, just when they are sending out their fruit j 

 but the great enemies of buds are the bulfinches, the 

 chaffinches, and, above all, the greenfinches, which 

 assail the buds of plums of all sorts in a most furious 



