224 pliny's NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XIV. 



sidered the most fruiti\il : the one which has a jagged leaf is 

 less productive. 



The vine known as the " apiana," 43 has received that name 

 from the bee, an insect which is remarkably fond of it : there 

 are two varieties of this vine. This grape, too, is covered in 

 its young state with a kind of down ; the main difference be- 

 tween the two varieties is, that the one ripens more rapidly 

 than the other, though this last ripens with considerable 

 quickness. A cold locality is not at all hurtful to them, 

 although there is no grape that ripens sooner : these grapes, 

 however, very soon rot in the rain. The wines produced by 

 this grape are sweet at first, but contract a rough flavour in 

 the course of years. This vine is cultivated more than any 

 other in Etruria. Thus far we have made mention of the 

 more celebrated vines among those which are peculiar and in- 

 digenous to Italy ; the rest have been introduced from Chios 

 or Thasos. 



The small Greek 44 grape is not inferior to the Aminean for 

 the excellence of its quality : the berry is remarkably thin- 

 skinned, and the cluster so extremely small, 45 that it is not 

 worth while cultivating it, except on a soil of remarkable 

 richness. The eugenia, 46 so called from its high qualities, has 

 been introduced into the Alban territory from the hills of 

 Tauromenium : 47 it is found, however, to thrive only there, 

 for if transplanted elsewhere it degenerates immediately : in 

 fact, there is in some vines so strong an attachment to their 

 native soil, that they leave behind them all their high repute, 

 and are never transplanted in their full entirety. This is the 

 case, too, with the B-hsetian and the Allobrogian grapes, of 

 which we have made mention above as the pitch-flavoured 48 

 grape; these are justly deemed excellent in their own coun- 



43 From " apis," a " bee." He alludes, it is thought, to the muscatel 

 grape, said to have had its name from " musca," a " fly ;" an insect which 

 is greatly attracted by its sweetness. 



44 Grsecula. 



45 Fee is inclined to think that he alludes to the vine of Corinth, the 

 dried fruit of which are the currants of commerce. 



46 From the Greek ivykvua. 



47 Now Taormina, in Sicily, where, Fee says, it is still to be found. 

 The grapes are red, similar to those of Mascoli near Etna, and much 

 esteemed. 



48 Picata. Seep. 221. 



