458 QUEENSLAND “AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 June, 1902: 
tied down to the vine ahead of it, as in Fig. 14, so as to fill the blank space up 
to the first spur of the next vine ; the lower cane is pruned to two eyes. This 
short fruit-rod serves two purposes—one, to fill the blank space as mentioned; 
another, to utilise for fruit the sap which accumulates at the extremity of the 
vine. It will have been noticed by readers that the extreme spurs on vines 
invariably made very strong wood. The vine is now perfect in shape. The 
following year the little fruit-rod is entirely removed close to the spur, and the 
upper cane of the spur is again pruned to a fruit-rod, and the lower pruned to 
two eyes as in the previous year. Should wind have damaged the shoots, and 
there be only one cane to the spur, this must be pruned to two eyes, and the 
fruit-rod dispensed with. 
Such is the Royat or unilateral cordon system, which is in all respects 
an excellent one, and in the writer’s opinion superior to the Bi-lateral cordon, 
to be described next. Vignerons who intend to adopt it are advised to plant 
their vines at a. distance not exceeding 6, at most 7, feet apart, otherwise 
the length of the cordon will be exaggerated. Vines over that distance apart 
should be pruned on the Thomery espalier fashion. Before quitting this 
system a few hints will prove of service to vignerons. Should there be found 
the year following the laying down of the cordon (Fig. 10) blank spaces 
through injury of the young shoots by wind, &c., make a cut in the cordon 
with the secateurs in front of the blank eye, and it will frequently cause a 
shoot to start at that spot; but it is far better to carefully tie up the shoots 
as they grow to avoid injury by wind than to have recourse to expedients for 
filling up blank spaces. After a time spurs will begin to lengthen, and possibly 
project outwards, with danger of injury from cultivators, &e. The vigneron’s 
attention must always be directed to keeping the spurs short by occasional 
renewals, no matter what system of pruning is adopted. ‘To effect this 
advantage must be taken of occasional water-shoots which make their appearance 
at the base of spurs; the best situated must be carefully protected when a 
spur requires renewal, and not removed at the summer pruning. The following 
winter this shoot is pruned to one eye and the spur pruned as usual. The 
year after the cane from the base of the spur is pruned to two eyes and the 
old spur remoyed clean with the stock. If a water-shoot fails to make its 
appearance for forming a new spur, prune the spur to three eyes and blind the 
two lower ones. This will seldom fail to force out a water-shoot unless the 
spur is very old. 
TuHomery Esparrer or Br-Larerat Corpon. 
This is a system of pruning which forms a vine with two arms or cordons, 
one on either side of the stock, with spurs on both arms. The procedure 
adapted the first year is the same as in the previous system (Figs. 1 and 2), 
There are now two ways of forming the’ cordon—a correct and more trouble- 
some way, and an incorrect and easy way. Needless to say the latter fs far 
more frequently chosen, but as the ill results of doing so are of no great 
consequence it need not be severely condemned. In the first place a well 
placed upright shoot issuing from Fig. 2 in the spring, is pinched back a few 
mches below the bottom wire of the trellis. Of the laterals that will start 
out only the topmost is permitted to grow, the others being pinched back to the 
first leaf. The following season this shoot will resemble Fig.12. At the base of 
the top lateral there will be several eyes, and it should be pruned. as indicated 
in Fig. 12, leaving two well-placed eyes just below the section. The following 
spring the shoots issuing from these two eyes are trained right and left along 
the wire, and they are at the next pruning shortened to meet the arms of the 
neighbouring vines at equal distances ; the arms are then permanently tied down 
in their place. The subsequent pruning is exactly the same as in the Royat 
system, except that there is no fruit-rod on the last spur, which is pruned like 
the others. It is not uncommon to form two spurs at the end of either arm to 
absorb the sap. The objection to this seaneal of forming the vine is that it 
entails considerable attention to the shoot that is pinched back lest it be 
injured, in which case the formation of the vine will be retarded a year ; 
with this drawback, it is far superior to the procedure next described. 
