36 THE BOOK OF THE GRAPE 



fruiting rods, and it is said to bear an annual crop of 

 about three hundred bunches. 



The culture of Muscat of Alexandria is better under- 

 stood now than it was some twenty or thirty years ago. 

 And, although the grape has the character of being a 

 " shy setter," such really is not the case ; neither is the 

 very high and dry atmospheric temperature, sometimes 

 recommended as being indispensable when the grapes 

 are in flower in order to secure a good " set," necessary. 

 Well-conditioned vines will set quite freely in the same 

 atmospheric temperature as that required by Black Ham- 

 burg, and, indeed, by all other varieties of the grape, 

 when in this interesting stage of growth. They like 

 a somewhat dry, airy, and at the same time fairly warm 

 temperature, with a buoyant but not arid atmosphere ; 

 the bunches when in flower being syringed very gently 

 with tepid water at about noon on bright days, applying 

 the syringe more sparingly on dull days, as a matter of 

 course. Thus treated, I have found Muscats to set as 

 freely as Black Hamburgs. 



Muscat Hamburg is an oval-berried black Muscat of 

 fairly vigorous growth and free-fruiting habit. It pro- 

 duces good-sized bunches, with long and rather loose 

 shoulders, and has the reputation of being a bad 

 " setter," and consequently the individual bunches con- 

 tain a goodly number of stoneless berries, which, how- 

 ever, does not matter much, as the only thinning such 

 bunches require is the cutting out of the undeveloped 

 berries. In any case, loose-shouldered bunches do not 

 require much, if any, thinning other than the remov- 

 ing of all small berries, as the foot-stalks are long, 

 and allow the berries ample space to swell and to 

 develop into solid compact bunches without any danger 

 of the berries becoming wedged. It is a thin-skinned, 

 purplish-black grape with a fine bloom, the berries 

 being large and the flesh melting, juicy, very rich, and 



