MAY. 103 



in its wood and all other parts being more gross ; it is also tenderer 

 in constitution, demanding more heat to bring it to perfection than 

 any other variety I ever cultivated. Although a noble Grape in ap- 

 pearance when well-grown, it is certainly inferior in general merit to 

 No. 2 ; therefore one vine is as many as need be coveted even by a 

 grape-fancier, and that should occupy the warmest situation whicli 

 can be appropriated to it. 



4. Grizzly Fronticjnan. 



Synonyms : Red Frontignan, Red Frontignac, Red Constan- 

 tia. Grizzly Frontignac, Muscat Gris, Muscat Rouge. 



Bunch rather below the middle size, long in proportion to its 

 breadth, being generally but little shouldered ; the branches of the 

 fruit-stalk, including the pedicels, are stiff, whicli gives the bunch 

 a rigid appearance ; berry middle-sized, very nearly round ; skin 

 thick, peculiarly coloured, the ground being dull yellowish, whicli 

 is thickl)' and closely marked with pale red, imjiarting to the whole 

 a sort of" grizzly" hue, — in well-coloured fruit the red is deeper and 

 brighter, from which accidental circumstance one of its false names 

 has arisen ; pulp juicy and rich, having much of the esteemed flavour 

 of the White Muscat; seeds large in proportion to the size of the 

 berry ; the leaves are moderately large, smooth above, and nearly 

 so beneath, with their indentations very sharply cut. 



From the above list of synonyms several of Italian and German 

 origin have been omitted, as being of little consequence to the Bri- 

 tish cultivator. Nearly all the works on gardening that have come 

 under my notice in Mhich Grapes are described make no less than 

 five varieties of Frontignan Grapes, viz. the black, white, grizzly, 

 blue, and red. In the last edition of the Horticultural Society's 

 Fruit-Catalogue, the red is rightly made a synonym of the grizzly, 

 thus reducing the number to four, which, however, is still one more 

 than really exists. Considerable experience among Grapes has satis- 

 fied me that there are no more than three Frontignans, and these are 

 the black (sometimes called the purple), the white, and the grizzly, 

 which resemble each other as closely as possible in all their characters 

 except in colour. The sort called Blue Frontignan in the above- 

 named catalogue is not a Frontignan at all ; that is to say, it does 

 not possess in any degree that particular musky flavour which cha- 

 racterises all the true Frontignan Grapes, and consequently it is not 

 entitled to the same appellation ; in appearance, however, it is con- 

 siderably like the Black Frontignan ; but besides differing in flavour 

 from that variety, it can be further distinguished by its berry being 

 more disposed to an oval form, and by the skin being of a more in- 

 tense and shining black colour, resembling that of the Black Prince, 

 whereas the skin of the Black Frontignan is a dull reddish black. 

 Some writers on Grapes call this variety the Black Constantia. which 

 is a much more appropriate name than Blue Frontignan. 



All the Frontignans are generally highly esteemed, although they 

 are less inviting in appearance than many comparatively inferior sorts. 

 The vines are more tender at the root than most others, and never 

 succeed well in heavy ill- drained borders. 



