Augast 29, 1867. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



WJ 



.lUDGING Gr.APES. 



UT five wcel;s a^o I Ront a 

 comraiiiiication on tliis sub- 

 jfict, my object heiiif; to 

 elicit tlie opinions of some 

 of our best Grupe-growors 

 repardinf; it, and, if possible, 

 lead to a standard beinf; set up. which, thoufxh it mif»ht not 

 be applicable with anything like mathematical exactness. 

 would, nevertheless, indicate the points that must be taken 

 into account before deciding what constitutes the hif;Iiest 

 excellence in a hunch of Gi-apcs. In refjard to the former, 

 I have been so far successful, and as far as the discussion 

 has gone it has been shown more (clearly than ever that, 

 as I previously wrote, opinions differ widely. I will now 

 proceed to give a summary of what each writer has said, in 

 tlie order iu which the letters appeared, aud oli'er suck 

 remarks as each case may call forth. 



Mr. Fowler, of Castle Kennedy, agrees generally with 

 me that some standard shoidd be set up by which Grajies 

 could bo judged, and concludes — " Although long of opinion 

 that too much weight has been given by judges to colour, 

 and too little to flavour, still I think that a large allowance 

 should always be made where colour exists in a high de- 

 gree, and is associated with line ilavour ; but without tliis 

 requisite quality (tlavourl, I consider no award should ever 

 be made by judges, however pleasing and attractive the 

 appearance of the Grapes may be on an exhibition-table, 

 because w'ithout lluvour they arc unpalatable, and, conse- 

 quently, unlit for the purpose for which they are groivn." 

 Mr. Fowler in tho first piirt of his article corroborates 

 what I said in regard to the blackest hunches of Ham- 

 burghs not being at all tunes the highest flavoured : there- 

 fore colour alone is not a safe guide in judging this Grape. 

 With all else that he says I agi-ee. remarking that the 

 " huge allowance" he claims for colour, when it is line, is 

 met 1)3' the )i marks I pro]iosed to give it. 



The next connuunication in order is that from Mr. Dixon, 

 of Waterdale, who himself showed such beautifully-coloured 

 Hamburgh Grapes at tlio iManchester Show. He, too, 

 thinks it very desirable that a set of rides for judging 

 Grapes should be iliawu up and published. 



Mr. Dixon remarks. " Mr. Thomson docs not say in his 

 article (page ,'!7), whether or not he would consider tho 

 colour of Grapes a true critc^rion to judge the flavour by, 

 or whether he considers it reipiisite on all occasions to 

 taste them." Mr. Dixon cannot have read what I wrote 

 carefull}', for he will find it contains the following passage: 

 " Common sense seems to suggest, that as the piim.ary 

 object in pnnving Gripes is that they may be eaten, the 

 palate should be the final court of appeal ;" and further on 

 he will read, " 'Jhe finest Hamburgh Grapes in ilesb, size 



No. sac— Vol, XIII., New Sebiss. 



of berry, and flavour I ever tasted were brown, while I 

 have tasted the same Grape jet black, yet sour. ' Thus it 

 will appear that I do not consider colour a true criterion 

 of flavour in the case of the Hamburgh Grape, and I would 

 " on all occasions taste them. ' With these explanations I 

 am entitled to prcsunn^ that, generally, Mr. Dixon agrees 

 with me as to the standard that should be sot up for judging 

 Grapes. 



Mr. Shortt, of Heckfield Place, also agrees with me. 



Mr. .John Alliston agrees with me '• as to the necessity 

 for a recognised standard for Grape-judging." but he thinks 

 that mine is not a correct oiidfand sets up one of his own, 

 which ignores flavour altogether. He makes the higliest 

 excellence G points : gives ■■i points to colour. -^ points to size 

 of berry, 1 to size of hunch, and 1 to symmetiy of bunch. If 



1 had to submit Grajies for competition where this was the 

 standard, I would grow Horsforth's Seedling, which deve- 

 lopes all the required points of excellence in a high degree, 

 though in the matter of flavour it is wretched ; but, before 

 such a standard, that is of no consequence. 



Mr. Thomas I'.ecord writes, " I maintain my opinion. 

 that a bunch of Grapes of iirst-rato colour, be the variety 

 what it may, has much more to recommend it than one of 

 second or thud-rate colour." Undoubtedly it lias, and 



2 points arc given to it over its opponents, which are iu 

 this respect less fortunate than it. 



Mr. Temple, gardener, Balbirnie, Fife, proves that 

 Grapes may be jet black long before they have acquired 

 tlieir proper flavour. He also states that his employers 

 object to tVrapes appearing on their table that are not 

 highly coloured, though their flavour may be all that can 

 be desired : which shows that they require every point of 

 excellence m their Grapes, of which fine colour is one. 



Mr. .1. Douglas writes—" I have often heard it rcmai-ked 

 that brown or red-coloured Hamburgh Grapes are superior 

 in flavour to black Hamhurghs. the varieties being the 

 same, and a gentleman whom I served in the capacity of 

 under gardener, was never quite satisfied with the Black 

 Hamburgh Grapes if they finished oft" with a black colour," 

 About the wisdom of this Mr. Douglas says he was scep- 

 tical, yet he admits further on in his article that Ham- 

 burgh Grapes may be black, yet neither ripe nor high 

 flavoured. 



Mr. Hallctt %vrites— " I agree with :\Ir. Thomson in his 

 remarks on judging Grapes. I consider that all ought to 

 be tasted by'judges before these decide upon their awards. 

 Mr, Thomson would give 3 points to flavour, and I should 

 say flavour ought to go a great way iu the judging of all 

 Idnds of fruit." 



A writer who signs himself " Bi_m K H.vMncROH with .\ 

 (iooi) TiMci; Bi.oosi." is dead against being tasted at all. 

 and says, " There should be men chosen for deciding our 

 merits"that should be able to do so without mutilating us 

 in a show tent. ' I am at a loss to know why three judges 

 could not take a berry each from the back part of a bunch 

 of Grapes iu a show"-tcnt without mutilating it. I have 

 done so a score of times, and could do so as many more, 

 with no injurv to the bunch of Grapes. 



Iu the Gui'deiun ChroiiuU- of August 17th. a •miter, who 

 Ko. 887.— Vol. XXSVIII., Old Seeiss. 



