380 On a manner of training the Vine upon open Walls. 



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 two lines ;* 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, im- 

 mediately above these eyes, they then break, develope them- 

 selves, and produce good bunches. Of this the Vignerons of 

 Thomery are well aware ; they never leave their spurs more 

 than one line 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 eight feet square, or sixty-four square feet are filled, and 

 the produce calculated on is three hundred and twenty 

 bunches ; for each arm being four feet long, and furnished 

 with spurs six inches apart, the two arms will carry sixteen 

 spurs of two eyes each ; and allowing two bunches to every 

 eye, each tier or cordon should bear sixty -four bunches, the 

 number on five cordons will consequently amount to three 

 hundred and twenty. 



This precise length of four feet to each arm has been 

 determined by experience to be the fittest ; the Vignerons 

 found that when the arms were left of a greater length, the 



* A French line is one-twelfth part of an inch. 



