Color of Grapes. 139 



purposes, dissemination and improvement; until, finally, civilized man 

 taking the plant under control, the " grapes of Eschol " gained a historic 

 record, with all their great attractiveness and alluring colors, the brightest 

 colors still being alwaj's chosen by birds and man alike. 



In some varieties of grapes, like the Concord, for instance, there is little 

 or no coloring pigment in the pulp, the coloring matter, as we would sup- 

 pose from its herein suggested origin, residing in the skin. There are other 

 varieties, those of which port wines are made, in which the pigments have 

 spread from the skins into the pulp, and even the seeds are dark in most of 

 our Riparia grapes. 



Mr. Darwin and those who have studied the colors of the plumage of 

 birds suggest that their bright tints have originated in and through sexual 

 selection. But the origin of the colors of grapes must be attributed to selec- 

 tion for diatetic purposes by the past joint action of birds, animals and man ; 

 of course, mainly, and for long ages, by birds alone. And I am convinced 

 from a study of our own native grapes, several of which species appear older 

 than Vitis vinijera, that it is generally in the oldest species, as we would con- 

 clude, that we find the darkest colors of skin, seeds and pulp, while our more 

 recent species have the most purple, pink and red pigments. 



In conclusion, the writer wishes to add that he desires the foregoing 

 paper to be considered more as suggestions to cause others to study the topic 

 than a finished contribution to exact knowledge. 



