VITIS VINIFERA. 
respect to the hardiness of its constitution. In New Eng- 
land its cultivation is very confined, but there are extensive 
vineyards in the Middle and Western States for the produc- 
tion of wine. | 
CHEMICAL AND MEDICAL PROPERTIES AND USES. 
The fruit of the vine when recent and fully ripe has an 
agreeable, cooling, sweet sub-acid taste. It contains, besides 
water, sugar, mucilage, and jelly, albumen, gluten, tannin, 
supertartrate of potassa, tartrate of lime, phosphate of mag- 
nesia, muriate of soda, sulphate of potassa, and tartaric, citric, 
and malic acids; and a mucoso-saccharine principle which 
Chaptal and Proust regard as the constituent on which the 
fermentative process in bruised grapes depends. 
At one time almost every part of the vine was recognized 
as officinal, and considered as possessed of remedial qualities, 
but now it is generally disused. The leaves, tendrils, and 
young shoots contain malic and citric acid and some bitar- 
trate of potash; they are now principally employed in wine 
countries to flavor vinegar. Grapes are cooling and antisep- 
tic, and when eaten in large quantities, diuretic and laxative. 
They are very useful in febrile diseases, particularly in bilious 
and putrid fevers, dysentery, and all inflammatory affections. 
In Syria the juice of ripe grapes inspissated is used in great 
quantity in these diseases. Grapes have been strongly recom- 
mended as an article of common diet in phthisis, and they 
certainly contain much bland nutricious matter well fitted for 
phthisical habits. 
Raisins are made from the varieties named the black raisin 
grape and the white raisin grape. They are cured in two 
methods, either by cutting the stalk of the bunches half 
through, when the grapes are nearly ripe, and leaving them 
~~ suspended on the vine till their watery part be evaporated, 
and the sun dries and candies them; or by gathering the- 
grapes when they are fully ripe, and dipping them in a lye 
made of the ashes of the burnt tendrils, after which they are 
Le exposed to the sun to dry. Those cured in the first method 
are most esteemed. 
_ Raisins differ from grapes chiefly in the quantity of saccha- 
rine matter being more abundant. They are more laxative 
_ than the fresh fruit, and are apt to prove flatulent when eaten 
— 
in any” considerable quantity. They are frequently used as 
an adjunct to some officinal preparations, but they add noth- 
"The juice of the grape consists of principles which, when 
jeir elements assume a new arrangement, — 
