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460 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 June, 1902. 
two eyes to form the return spur; but by an accident A was rendered useless: 
for the purpose, and C, the lowest cane on the old fruit-rod, had to be utilised. 
All other wood being pruned away, the pruned vine is shown in Fig. 21, 
the same shape as the previous year (Fig. 20). Each winter the same system 
is followed with identical results. The vignerons must bear in mind that the 
upper cane of the return spur is used for the fruit-rod and the lower cane for: 
forming the return spur, and not vice versd. The system is simplicity itself, 
THE BorpELAIsE Esparrer, or DousnEe Guyor. 
The Bordelaise espalier is a double Guyot on one vine ; that is to say, it 
consists of two fruit-rods and two return spurs. It is a system better adapted 
for this State than the single Guyot for the reason that in this climate the 
latter system is unable to utilise the great vigour of vines in fertile Queensland 
soils ; there would be waste of energy in production of useless wood. For 
poorer and shallow soils it is, however, recommendable, and there is no difficulty, 
if the need arises, of converting the single Guyot into a Bordelaise espalier. 
To initiate the Bordelaise requires a young vine with two spurs, as in 
Fig. 3. This is generally obtainable in vines of a year old in good soil in 
Queensland; if not the vine should be pruned back as in Fig. 2, and the. 
subsequent winter two spurs formed as in Fig. 3. The following year the vine 
will have made a growth as in Fig. 22. The six canes, it will be observed, are 
growing from two spurs formed the previous season. A and D are 
chosen for the two return spurs because they are the lower canes on 
the spur, and B and C for the fruit-rods being the upper canes. These 
are pruned to eight eyes each, and tied to or twisted round the bottom wire. 
(law 7). The vine will appear as in Fig. 23; it is immaterial that the fruit- 
rods cross each other. The following winter the vine will appear as in Fig, 
24; B and C (the old fruit-rods) are pruned away close to the stock; the 
spur A, in Fig. 28, produced the canes F, D in Fig. 24, and the spur D: 
(Fig. 23) the canes A, E. (For unavoidable reasons the illustrations are on a 
small scale, and somewhat difficult to follow; a small lens will assist the eye in 
finding the canes and spurs.) F and E are pruned to two eyes each for return 
spurs, and A D pruned to eight or ten eyes each and tied to the bottom wire 
or twisted round it. The number of eyes to be left on the fruit-rods wil] 
depend entirely on the variety and vigour of the vine, and the required number 
of eyes should be counted on the upper side of the cane, the lower eyes being 
disbudded in the spring. All other wood being pruned off, the vine will 
resemble Fig. 25. The same method is followed the next and succeeding years, 
The vine if correctly pruned will always present the appearance of Hig. 25, 
In Queensland, and on the Downs especially, where gales of wind are frequent 
in the spring and early summer months, it is well to have a third return spur: 
as a reserve in case of injury to the shoots of the other two, which may easily 
occur if tieing up in the spring has been neglected. It is obvious that the loss 
of a shoot on a return spur involves the loss of a fruit-rod next season, as the 
remaining cane must be pruned short to form a spur unless a favourably 
situated water-shoot from the stock can be utilised for one. For renewing: 
spurs when they become long and distorted, which they soon do, the same 
means are employed as described under the Royat system. 
This system of pruning is an excellent one, and should be more popular 
in Queensland than is the case. With but few exceptions, all varieties of vines 
yield an abundant crop with this class of pruning; moreover, it is simplicity 
itself once the principle is fairly grasped. The objections to it are that it can 
only be practised on trellised vines, which is an objection to all varieties of 
pruning, and that much attention is required to the shoots from the return 
spurs to avoid injury from wind. In the case of the Black Hermitage, 
especially, this is quite true; nevertheless, a little extra time spent on tieing 
up the shoots in the spring is amply compensated in the yield and saving of 
time in the pruning. One great advantage this system confers is in the case 
of spring frosts destroying the shoots, any buds that have remained dormant, 
which frequently happens on fruit-rods, will give a crop which could not be 
